The Adventure Continued
by Allison Carroll
Summary: Harry and Ginny have always gotten along. Now, Harry is at lost for words as to Ginny's peculiar behavior as they work sidebyeside at Hogwarts. Can some wounds heal after years of pain? Chapter 25 is now up and this story is completed!
1. Just a Dream

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 1: Just a Dream**

**A/N: **I have none. Enjoy or I'll hex you! Just kidding…ok, maybe not.

**Disclaimer: **I think these are pointless because everyone says the same thing, "I don't own Harry Potter." Well, _duh!_ Only one person does, so how about we just make one BIG disclaimer and get on with things, hm? Lovely.

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_A shadow appeared at the edge of the lake at Hogwarts. The owner of the shadow, a tall, scrawny boy of sixteen stared down at his reflection: at his hair that never stayed down and the eyes that his mom had given him. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. However, the beauty did not reflect on his face. In place of a smile, Harry could only frown. It was the day of Dumbledore's funeral. Harry had plenty to contemplate, but did not think long when a piercing scream hit his ears. He looked back towards Hogwarts to see the castle destroyed…what? How?_

"Harry?"

_As he ran over to where his best friends had sat earlier, he saw Ron and Hermione on the ground…dead. Ginny was cowering on her knees in front of another figure in black. In one long swoop with the wand, Ginny fell back, dead. The person gave a high pitched laugh that seemed so familiar to Harry. Fast to act, Harry sent spells in every direction, yet none hit the cloaked figure._

"Potter?"

"_You think you can kill me, Potter?" The voice screamed delightedly. The mask came off, the hood pulled back, revealing the face Harry hated for so long…_

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry jumped up, only to be knocked off his chair and desk. Lying on his back, he looked up at Tonks and Kingsley, both with an amused expression on their faces. As he looked around, he realized that the aurors' office hardly resembled Hogwarts and no one seemed to be in danger of a cloaked figure. Harry breathed a sigh of relief when realizing that Ron and Hermione were safe and alive, and Ginny…hopefully, she was safe.

Getting onto his feet, he started to organize his report that he had fallen asleep on. To his dissatisfaction, there were drops of drool in random places, giving his report a tattered appearance.

"Really, Harry, you need to go home and get some sleep. This is the third time I've caught you sleeping on the job," Tonks remarked, her long hair a nice shade of magenta. Harry didn't seem to hear what Tonks had said, but stood admiring her hair, wondering if he would look good in that color. "It takes time for these things to pick up, anyways. You can't catch ever death eater just by drooling, you know."

Harry caught that last comment and laughed. "Yeah, but you would think that after ridding the world of Voldemort, I would be able to at least catch up with some of his supporters…"

"Harry, I don't think they want to kill you like you-know-who did," Kingsley added. "They're probably hiding out, hoping to find another powerful wizard to kill you. It's a grand world out there!"

"Really, Harry, go home and go to bed. The next time you turn in a report with drool stains on it, I'm going to hex you," Tonks threatened, taking the papers from his hand and sending them to her desk. "Macmillan will be back in the morning with the update, but I doubt he'll find anything. We've raided the Malfoys' five times this month and I doubt this raid will bring any better results than the last."

Harry sighed, feeling rather defeated and a little shaken up by his dream…or was it a dream? "You're right, I should be going," he mumbled, trying to hide a yawn.

"See you, Harry," Tonks answered, turning back to her desk, followed by Kingsley. With a mixed up expression on his face and a little concentration, Harry found himself at 12 Grimmauld Place, but he was not alone…

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	2. ‘We’ve been waiting for you’

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 2: 'We've been waiting for you'**

**A/N: **Aww, no reviews. Oh well, I'm going to continue this anyways for my sake. You might not like reading, but I sure love writing this. I have two more chapters lined up, so there is something to look forward to. So, on with the story!

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Clanking of dishes could be heard from the kitchen and a light shown from the crack under the door. Pulling out his wand, Harry tip-toed lightly to the door. In a flash, the door was flung open and Harry had his wand pointed at the intruders.

"Well, hello, Harry! We've been waiting for you," Mrs. Weasley smiled from the stove, taking out a teapot and filling it with water. Harry let out a relieved breath, but somehow, the disappointment stuck in his gut. He really had been hoping it was…well, he didn't want to think about it anymore. Well, he wanted to, but Tonks told him _not_ to. Harry looked around the room, finding two more red-haired Weasleys, and Hermione's bushy brown hair. The three of them beamed at their long-time friend.

"How's the ministry, Harry?" Hermione asked casually, as if Harry had always barged into rooms, threatening his wand ominously at everyone. "We haven't seen you in days!"

Harry blinked. "You've been here for days?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Nitwit, of course not. You just haven't been to the burrow in a while. Mum was getting worried, so we decided to raid your house, but since we didn't find you, we then decided to wait." It was clear. Very clear. What were they doing here again? Harry shook his head, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.

"You look like you haven't slept for days, either! Don't tell me Kingsley is making you work all night as well!" Ron meant it as a joke, but Harry didn't smile. "And what's that on your face? 'Strange?' Yes, we know you are, Harry, but you really don't have to advertise it!"

Harry ran for a mirror, and not finding one, he took the teapot that Mrs. Weasley was using to make tea. Not realizing that hot metal burns skin, Harry cried in pain as he retracted his hand away from the teapot. After shaking his hand and running cool water over it, he came back to look at his reflection from a safe distance. Indeed, 'strange' was written in dark black ink…backwards.

"What?" Harry gasped, but then it hit him like a dead pigeon falling from the sky in St. Mark's Square. His report! He had fallen asleep on his report! Grabbing a towel, he tried to rub the ink off, but to avail. The words stuck to his forehead, sharp black against his pale skin.

"Harry, I think you've been working a little too much. Did you fall asleep at your desk again?" Mrs. Weasley questioned gently.

"How did you know?" Harry looked surprised.

"Harry, Arthur works with Kingsley. He knows about all the crazy things you've been up to. From what we've heard, you haven't been home in days," Mrs. Weasley answered worriedly, the same look she had given him when he first came to the burrow the summer before his second year and realized how poorly he had been treated.

"Yeah," Harry admitted, "Tonks actually sent me out of office." Harry sat down next to his friends, taking the cup of tea Mrs. Weasley handed him.

"What have you been doing, Harry?" Hermione inquired, but Harry only shook his head in response. A book on the table caught Harry's eye: _Magical Herbs and Their Uses._ "For school, really," Hermione answered his look. "I have a test tomorrow and need to keep studying. _You_ might be done in three years, but Healers take five years to get through school and then go through training and…"

"So, Harry, are you going to the World Cup?" Ron interrupted, leaving Hermione casting him a dark look. "We're swamped at the Ministry. It's in Ireland, but it might as well be here with the way we're slaving."

Harry grinned, "Yeah, the ministry is assigning us to watch over the game. Of course, it won't just be watching the game, but it should still be fun. Do you know who's playing? I've been…err…caught up lately."

"Ireland, of course, that was a no-brainer, but the other team is from Argentina. It should be a good game," Ron commented, picking up a biscuit from the pile that Mrs. Weasley put on the table. "I have prime tickets for the whole family. We'll have better seats than last time!"

Harry bit into a cookie, recalling the last World Cup he had attended. A flood of memories filled his mind. It had been the best summer in his life. "Argentina doesn't have a chance," Harry added knowingly. "Ireland has Joseph O'Malley. He's probably the best seeker next to Viktor Krum, in my opinion."

Ginny shook her head and shrugged. "You'd be surprised. I was reading _Quidditch Monthly Magazine_ and they gave up three pages to the Argentina team. Apparently the seeker, Juan Ramirez, is a new talent on the team. You really just don't know about new players, do you? I mean, they can just pull off anything." Her look rested on Harry, remembering so many Quidditch games that seemed hopeless, but Harry still pulled it off. Three Quidditch Cups had been won with the help of the black-haired boy, directly and indirectly.

Harry shrugged. "Still, Ireland has a reputation. I wouldn't put it past them. I'd bet 5 galleons that Ireland will win," Harry challenged the table. Hermione rolled her eyes, and opened her book. However, Ron and Ginny had their feisty eyes fixed on Harry.

"And I'll bet you that Argentina wins, not only Ramirez getting the snitch, but also by 120 points!" Ginny answered spiritedly. Harry had seen that expression another time when a couple redheaded Weasleys decided to make bets.

"Are Fred and George going to bet?" Harry asked Ron curiously.

Ron shrugged, "I'm sure they will, but I don't know what they're betting. Ginny would know that, she works for them."

However, Ginny also shrugged and shook her head. "I wouldn't know; I haven't seen them in a while."

"Don't you work at the shop?" Harry asked, surprised by the response.

"Yeah, Ginny," Ron interrupted, "what's going on? You were still working for them last time I talked to you."

"Not anymore," Ginny answered, "I got another job."

Now all three were staring at Ginny (Hermione reluctantly pealing her eyes off her book) waiting to hear more. When she didn't continue, Hermione felt it was her job to prod more. Finally, after dozens of questions, Ginny budged.

"You guys are going to laugh," she was now grinning, her eyes still glowing with pleasure. "I got a job at Hogwarts. They opened the school again and I will be teaching Transfiguration in place of McGonagall."

"WHAT?"

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	3. Sides Never Seen

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 3: Sides Never Seen**

**A/N: **Another chapter! How convenient.Trust me, it gets exciting. Ok, maybe not exciting enough, but interesting at least. Hope you enjoy enough to review! If not, oh well. I will still write like the little enginethatcould...until the engine breaks down, that is ;)

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Ginny laughed at the surprised looks on her friends' faces. Mrs. Weasley peered over casually, trying to hide the grin on her face. Mrs. Weasley knew very well of her daughter's plans and had pride in Ginny's decision. At least she didn't turn out like Fred or George!

"Why didn't you tell me, Gin? I'm your own brother, for Merlin's sake!" Ron cried exasperated that his sister would keep something so important from him.

Ginny tried to hold back her enormous grin as she answered, "I was going to tell you, really. I just wanted to make sure that this was something I really wanted to do. I didn't send my answer to McGonagall until yesterday. Besides Mum and Dad, you three are the first to know."

Harry stared at the wavy redhead in astonishment. Ginny is only a kid! How could she be teaching transfiguration when she herself was barely out of school? "Yeah, but she's twenty, she's not a child anymore," the other part of his brain echoed in his mind. Sure, Harry and Ginny dated in their sixth year, but Harry couldn't get it out of his head the little girl whom he had seen running after the train nearly ten years ago.

"What made you choose transfiguration, of all subjects?" Hermione recovered enough from the shock to ask.

"McGonagall suggest it," Ginny continued, still trying to hold back her smile. "I talked with her last year when the Ministry decided to let Hogwarts open again. She said I've always had excellent marks in the subject, and with a few classes that the ministry is offering, I would do fairly well teaching. I'm an animagus, as you know. I've really developed that part of my training. I'm hoping to be as good as McGonagall one day." The last comment seemed to be to herself rather than her audience.

This was definitely a side Harry had never seen of Ginny, but it left a feeling of loss in his gut. Harry had always been on track for a career as an auror, with Ginny straggling behind trying to discover her purpose. Now that Ginny had chosen her career, it would mean she had chosen a life away from Harry.

"Wait," Harry thought, shaking his head. "We broke up a long time ago. She's just doing what she thinks is best. It doesn't mean anything concerning me…or at least I hope it doesn't…"

The conversation went on, with Ginny describing what she was going to do this next year. It had been four years since the school had closed. For some students, four years of school had to be made up. For fifth years, that meant four years had to be crammed into their brains before taking O.W.L.'s. Students who were over seventeen could take offered classes with the Ministry to replace the years they lost from the school closing. Ginny was one of many students that had taken this course.

When the conversation about ended, Harry realized it was nearly eleven. It wouldn't normally have bothered him much, but he was expected at the office at seven and four sleepless nights seemed to have caught up with him all at once. With a yawn and a hug for each friend (giving Ginny an extra long hug and a "Good luck!") and Mrs. Weasley, the four disappeared, leaving Harry alone in the house. He had so much to think about, but his brain shut down before he could ponder more…

* * *

"Oops, sorry, ma'am," Harry apologized as he bumped into a witch on his way out of the elevator and into the Auror Office, causing the latter to fall over. His lack of attention to his surroundings was to blame on a few memos in his hand. One was the results of the raid. Just as Tonks predicted and to Harry's disappointment, nothing was found at the Malfoys' estate. Ernie sent his own note to Harry, but it must not have contained anything valuable as Harry crumpled it up and shoved it in his pocket. With the last memo, a note from Tonks, Harry became even more distracted, resulting in knocking over the witch in front of him.

"Do watch where you're going from now on, Potter," came the stern reply.

Harry looked up and almost tripped over himself.


	4. You May Call Me ‘Minerva’ Now

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 4: You May Call Me 'Minerva' Now**

**A/N: **I absolutely love it! I'm getting zip review, but I'm on 3 favorites lists and 3 story alerts! Wow, I hope this isn't a record or something…crazy, though. Hope you are still enjoying this as much as I am!

**-Will take Offers for a Beta-Reader. Can you tell I need one?**

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"I-I'm sorry, Professor!" Harry mumbled in astonishment at the one and only Professor McGonagall, her jet black hair still in a tight bun and glasses hanging askew on her face. "I guess I didn't see you there."

"You certainly guessed right. You can call me 'Minerva' now, Harry. I am no longer your teacher," McGonagall answered with a small smile. "I suppose you're here to see Tonks?"

Harry looked wide-eyed. "How did you know?" Was there something Harry was missing? Everyone seemed to know exactly what he was doing at every moment of the day. Really, there must be spies around the ministry or _something_.

"Oh really, Potter, don't look shocked. I am here to meet with her as well," McGonagall picked up the papers that had fallen out of her hands, leaving Harry to stand confused by the elevator, and headed towards the auror office. It took a moment for Harry to realize what he was doing and to unglue his feet from the floor. What did McGonagall want with Harry?

Tonks peered outside the nearest door to find Harry walking slowly towards the office. "Harry, come on! We're waiting for you!"

Turning into the office, Harry not only found Tonks and McGonagall, but Kingsley, Mr. Weasley, and a blonde-haired girl that Harry didn't seem to recognize at first. When she turned to wave at him, he realized that it was Hannah Abbott, a girl in his year, but different house. All were sitting in comfortable chairs around Tonks desk, except Kingsley who sat in a corner to the left of Tonks.

"Thanks for showing up, Harry," Tonks teased, but immediately regaining her composure, trying to give off a professional impression. It didn't help that her hair glowed lime green and her normally brown eyes changed color every few seconds (must be a nervous habit). "Alright, we have a new assignment for Mr. Potter and Ms. Abbott. Harry, we have decided to give you the post as 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' teacher at Hogwarts-"

"What?"

"-and Hannah will be taking over Charms. Have you found anyone to cover History of Magic, Minerva?" Tonks added, looking at McGonagall, who sat looking rather bored.

"Where did Professor Binns go?" Harry blurted out, receiving an annoyed look from Tonks and McGonagall.

"Professor Binns left Hogwarts when the castle was destroyed. Many of the ghosts did- except Peeves," McGonagall added disappointedly. "But I believe I have found a good replacement-- for Professor Binns, I mean"

"Tonks? Why are we being assigned as teachers?" Hannah asked, confused. "How will our auror training help at Hogwarts?"

Kingsley beamed at the crowd as if they were finally getting somewhere. For some time, he and Mr. Weasley seemed to be occupied with staring at the walls during the conversation. "Yes, I would like to know, Minerva. It isn't like you to ask assistance from the Ministry."

McGonagall grimaced. "I believe some temporary protection should be granted until the school is entirely back together again. It will also do the public good to know that their children will be under watch of the greatest wizard alive."

"But Dumbledore's gone, Professor-" Harry began.

"No, Harry, I mean you. Parents will send their children to school, but only if they can be assured that their children are safe. Just some 'auror' won't do much good, but if the famous Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived was-"

"But what good am I going to do?" Harry still felt exasperated at the idea. "I'm not even great! I just did what I had to do. I don't know as much as Dumbledore or as you or-"

McGonagall attempted to hold back a smile, but no one seemed to notice. "That's not the idea, Harry," she returned in a stern tone of voice that Harry was _very_ familiar with. "The public doesn't care if you killed You-Know-Who with a rubber chicken blindfolded, entirely by accident. The point is, you are considered the most powerful wizard of the age and hold the highest place in society. No one will ever think twice about you."

Harry smiled, but his red face showed that he was completely baffled. "Well…err…ok. How long will it be for?" he turned to Tonks and Kingsley.

"As of now, you will only be there for a year. It depends after that. If something happens; if death eaters storm the castle, then perhaps longer, but it probably won't happen," Tonks added quickly, seeing the worried looks on Harry and Hannah's faces. "Any other questions?" she added more brightly. Both shook heads and stood up.

"Well, then, I will send you an owl shortly stating your responsibilities and the paperwork that needs to be filled out prior to your arrival. Hannah, you may use the books that Professor Flitwick had been using, but Harry, I'm afraid, you will have to search for some suitable material," McGonagall added. "I expect to hear from you both soon. Good-bye." The Headmistress disapparated and, with a last smile, Tonks dismissed both Harry and Hannah out of her office.

"Now, then, Kinglsey, let's get to business on this issue," Mr. Weasley whispered before the door shut completely. Hannah didn't seem to hear it, but Harry paused a moment before walking away. It really did him no good to listen at doors…well, maybe it did.

Harry retraced his steps back to the door and, taking out some Extendable Ears, tried to listen in on the conversation. To his disappointment, the door had been charmed and not a vibration hit his ear drum.

"If only I had my invisibility cloak…argh," he muttered before walking away. It wasn't like Harry to give up so easily. Perhaps at a different time he would have made more of an effort to find out what was going on, but the conversation he had just had with McGonagall was still in his mind. "Next time…"

At his desk, Harry found Ernie Macmillan sitting in a chair across from his, reading the Daily Prophet. A few memos were flying around his chair, knocking over quills and ink bottles until the desk was dripping in ink.

"I saw McGonagall enter Tonks office. What did she want?" Ernie asked casually, although the curiosity was still burning in his eyes.

Harry sat in his chair and leaned back. A few drops of ink splattered his robes, but with a swish of his wand, the ink vanished and the quills were put away in their rightful places. "I'm going to be working at Hogwarts now- the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Harry groaned as he pulled out a new bottle of ink and a piece of parchment. He had more paperwork to fill out, but that was the least of his worries. Right now, he needed to talk to someone; someone who could understand him.

_Hey Hermione,_

_Remember the D.A.? I need to find those books we used, do you remember them? I'll tell you about it when I go to the burrow at the end of the week._

_Harry_

"That sure clears it up, mate," Ernie laughed, reading over his shoulder. Little did Harry know that his friends would be learning about his new job sooner than he thought…

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	5. News Shocks

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 5- News Shocks**

**A/N: **Still no reviews and we're on our fifth chapter. Bad reviews are just as welcome as good reviews in my eyes...but I still think I hold the record for most favorites without any reviews!

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**_The Boy-Who-Lived Taking New Position_**

_**Article Beautifully Written by Lisa Vincent**_

_Harry Potter, just recently becoming an Auror with the Ministry of Magic, has now taken on a new, mellower job. The twenty-one year old boy agreed yesterday to take on a position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was not available for questioning, but an associate commented that Potter will be an excellent addition to the Hogwarts Staff._

_Catherine Turpin, 31, mother of two children that will be attending Hogwarts this September, comments, "I feel much safer having my children with someone who is experienced and knows what they're doing."_

"_The Ministry is obviously doing all they can to build back our community," John Alan, father of a new student, also remarks, "but it is a little frightening to have Mr. Potter in such a secluded place as Hogwarts when it's obvious that he is needed in other places. I do feel safer with my child at Hogwarts with him, but what is the reasoning behind it? Are our children in danger? Or is there something the ministry isn't telling us?"

* * *

_

"I really wish you would have told us about this, Harry," Hermione looked across the table at the burrow the next afternoon. Harry hid his head in his arms, taking long, deep breaths. It is obvious that this was the last thing Harry expected, but somehow, it didn't entirely shock him. His worst fears were what Ron and Hermione were going to think about his new position…and Ginny.

"How could I have?" Harry looked up. "I just found out about it yesterday! My question is: how did _they_ find out?"

Ron and Hermione laughed. "Really, Harry, what does the Daily Prophet _not_ find out?" Ron answered after he caught his breath. "They have all kinds of ears in the ministry. They probably overheard you or McGonagall or something. Really, with those extendable ears, you can hear anything!"

"But we were in Tonks office! It's jinxed!" Harry replied, lost for ideas. The other two just shrugged and looked back at the Daily Prophet.

A poke on his arm caused Harry to jump until he saw two tawny owls standing next to him, both caring what looked like a book. To Harry's horror, it wasn't a book, but rather the "papers" McGonagall had promised to send him. Ron and Hermione also stared in amazement as Harry untied the stack of papers and the owls flew off.

Ron was the first to speak. "You've certainly got yourself into something…"

"HARRY POTTER!"

A tornado of red, blue, and pink stormed the kitchen and Harry nearly fell off his chair.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE WORKING AT HOGWARTS!"

"Ginny, I-"

"OH, JUST WHEN I GET A JOB I ENJOY, YOU DECIDE TO RUIN IT FOR ME BY GETTING THE SAME JOB SO YOU CAN OUTDUE ME AND EVERYONE ELSE ONCE AGAIN!"

"Ginny, I-"

"DON'T 'GINNY' ME, POTTER! I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Shut it, Ginny!" It was Ron who expressed what the three were feeling at Ginny's uproar. Harry knew that Ginny wouldn't like it, but this seemed almost ridiculous! "It's not like Harry wanted your precious job!"

"Ron!" Hermione piped up, giving him a glare.

"Look, Gin, I was only assigned this yesterday," Harry tried to defend himself, but still shocked. "I didn't even want the job. McGonagall and Tonks gave it to me. It will only be for a year- I hope."

Ginny stared at the three with a piercing gaze, before backing down. "Well, you should have at least told me before the Daily Prophet did! That wasn't very noble of you," she retorted coldly.

Again, Harry put his head in his arms, this time intending his eyes never to see daylight again. This mess was worse than he thought, and on top of that, he was given the worst amount of paperwork in his entire life. What else could go wrong?

"Hey, Hermione, do you remember the books?" Harry mumbled, getting the courage to face his friends again.

Hermione shook her head. "I can suggest a few, but I haven't had time to work on it. I had those exams yesterday, remember? I have a few more exams next week and then I'll be free to help you."

Realizing that the day could get much worse, Harry got up, grabbed the pile of horror that McGonagall referred to as "papers", and turned to leave through the back kitchen door. "Sorry about all this. I wish I could have told you myself…" And before the three in the kitchen could blink, Harry had disapparated.

"Look what you did!" Ron accused Ginny, who also seemed taken back by Harry's exit. However, the latter recovered and stomped back up the stairs, slamming the door at the top.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks before turning back to the Daily Prophet. The article next to Harry's sent the two in fits of laughter, almost forgetting the storm that had just passed.

"_Sybil Trelawney Declared 'Seer of the Age!_'" Hermione cried, holding back another fit. "Oh Merlin, what has this world come to?"

* * *


	6. Deadlines, Headaches, and House elves

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 6: Deadlines, Headaches, and House-elves**

**A/N: **Hope this chapter is a little more entertaining. For those looking for the romance, thou must be patient. Love just doesn't strike everyone in the forehead ;) Please bear with me and celebrate because I'm on 4 favorite's lists, 4 story alerts, and no reviews! Must be a fanfic-record…

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For the next couple days, Harry spent most of his time out of the office. Neither Tonks nor Kingsley gave him any more assignments, so most of his time was spent in the Ministry's Library. While Hermione was tied up with her studying to become a Healer, Harry was left to slave away looking for books. After the third day, he really wished he had paid more attention to the library system before leaving Hogwarts.

The paperwork that Harry knew needed to be filled out was still sitting on a desk in the living room. He hadn't looked at it, but each time he passed through the room, he could feel the stack staring back at him. "What did they get me into?" Harry whined. On top of all this, the Quidditch Cup in Ireland was fast approaching. Originally, Harry had been assigned to watch over the game, but Tonks had passed him up and gave the job to Ernie Macmillan, leaving Harry in a fowl mood.

Harry didn't feel any better the morning of the game, having neither tickets nor enough time to attend. Paperwork (or as he referred to it, "His pile of horrors") was due the next day and Harry had barely glanced at it. Finally, he managed to sit down at the table in the kitchen, and get started. Unfortunately, he had barely finished his name on the top when two soiled figures crashed from the fireplace.

"Harry!" Ron got up, dusting himself off. "I thought you were going to the game!"

Harry shook his head, not wanting to really talk about it. Really, who would want to talk about the greatest game of the year when they couldn't attend?

"Really, Harry, don't you think Professor McGonagall would understand if the paperwork isn't turned in for an extra day?" Hermione added.

Ron and Harry stared astonished at Hermione. Since when did Hermione Granger procrastinate? Or advise anyone to turn in something late? Oh dear, this world was coming to an end.

"Oh really, you two! It just isn't like Harry to miss such an important game! Besides, he had a bet, don't you remember?" Hermione peered at Harry.

"Besides," Ron added, still a bit stunned, but not by any spell, "I have an extra ticket. Bill can't make it. Seems him and Fleur have some family reunion or something like that. Just bring your paperwork with you. Maybe you can finish it during the game."

Harry grinned, despite his gut feeling that this was the worst thing he could do. It was supposed to be the most important game, though…

"Alright," he agreed. "Let's go!"

* * *

"I can't believe you, Harry," Ginny glared disapproving at Harry. Usually it was Hermione giving the lecture, but the latter didn't protest. "I got that paperwork done _weeks_ ago and you just started! Don't you realize students are supposed to be getting their owls soon?"

Harry glanced at his watch. "I've got time. It's not due for another fifteen hours."

"Do you even have books lined up?" Ginny retorted, ignoring Harry's comment.

"Of course," Harry lied. However much time he had spent in the library, he barely found anything suitable for students. He was really depending on Hermione to help, but he couldn't ask her while she was preoccupied, studying furiously for exams.

Neither Harry nor Ginny exchanged words for the rest of the game. Everyone once in a while, Harry would watch the two seekers zoom across the stadium, each person hunting frantically for the snitch, or watch a goal being scored by some of the best chasers of the age. Sometimes, he would be caught daydreaming, remembering the days when that was him flying. How he would do anything to be up there!

It was during one of these moments that the snitch flitted in front of Harry, so close that Harry could reach out and grab it.

"Harry! Look out!" Hermione cried out, but before Harry realized what was happened, two bullets were hurtling towards him.

**CRASH!**

"HARRY!"

* * *

Harry woke up hours later feeling shots of pain cover his whole body. Although his eyes couldn't make out much without his glasses, he could still recognize the few blurs of red and Hermione's brown hair.

"Where am I?" Harry murmured, not remembering exactly what happened. "What happened?"

"You caught the snitch, Harry! You caught the snitch!" cried Ron with a broad grin on his face as Harry grabbed his glasses to see. He wasn't sure how he got his glasses as they just seemed to pop up into his hands. Was he in the hospital wing at Hogwarts?

Hardly. Harry neither recognized the room nor the witch tending to him, which turned out to be one of Hermione's instructors. The hum of the two chatting after Harry woke up filled the room.

"What do you mean, I caught the snitch? I wasn't even playing!" Harry began to recall where he was and what he was doing there. The game! His paperwork! "What time is it? Did the game end? Who won? What happened?"

"The game sure ended, Harry," Hermione laughed as she turned back to his bed. "You caught the snitch…or rather trapped it. Juan Ramirez was the first to get it from you, though. Of course, you wouldn't remember this because the trauma and the impact caused you to lose consciously fairly quickly. However, you helped Argentina win the Quidditch World Cup!"

"And guess by how much?" Ginny smirked, from next to Ron.

Harry closed his eyes and pulled out five galleons from his pocket, handing it over to Ginny. "Weasleys must be true seers or something. There's Fred and George, and then you…" Harry's voice trailed off in thought. Something weird just seemed to going on; as if the whole world seemed to be against him. Then again, it's been that way since he was a year old. "Can I leave now?"

The matron of the infirmary nodded her head and the group headed out. It was nearly midnight now, the game being over for nearly three hours. The grounds were still full from people staying over night, but a soft silence blanked the area. No one was snoring, moving, talking, walking, or doing anything to disrupt the peace…just silence.

Harry looked down at his paperwork: it was only halfway done and due in twelve hours. Groaning, he waved to his friends and disapparated back home to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where a crackling fire and a strange little house-elf awaited him.

"Hello, Dobby," Harry greeted lazily, used to the house-elf's constant appearance from Hogwarts where the house-elf stilled served. After the problem that Kreacher provided leading to the latter's death, Dobby dedicated himself to taking care of Harry in place of Kreacher. Harry had protested that he didn't need a house-elf, but Dobby did prove useful and often Harry's spirits were lifted when Dobby popped up, reminding him of his previous home at Hogwarts.

"Dobby hears that Harry Potter will be coming Hogwarts!" Dobby sang gleefully. "Dobby will be delighted to be able to fully serve Harry Potter once again!" The house-elf bowed, his nose hitting the floor.

"Err…yeah," Harry answered, remembering his job and paperwork once again. "About that…I really need to get this paperwork done and I'm going to be spending the entire night working on it…"

The house-elf bowed, reading to leave when an idea popped into Harry's head. "Dobby, wait! Can you get into the Room of Requirements? Can you find the books that the D.A. used my fifth year at Hogwarts?"

Dobby thought a moment. "Dobby thinks he can find the books, Harry Potter! Dobby will do this right now and bring every book he can find!" Dobby bowed again and a loud bang declared his departure.

Harry grinned, realizing that he should have thought of this a long time ago. With a sigh of a relief, he worked to the wee hours of the morning, finally finishing a little before dawn. By the time the sun did rise, Harry was sleeping soundly in his chair, waiting for the house-elf that did not come…

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!

* * *

**_


	7. Just Leave Me alone!

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 7: Just Leave Me alone!**

**A/N: **Wow, I'm really surprised! I got my first three reviews! Thanks, IamSiriusgrl, IAMSOAP, and GiGiFanFic. You guys made my day brighter :) Also, thanks for everyone else for reading! I am now on 7 favorite's lists and 6 Story alerts! Well, my record is broken now, but yay! Oh, and if you haven't noticed, the Chapters are slowly getting longer...

* * *

Harry jumped off his chair and ran to the door, only to find a huffed Professor McGonagall staring angrily at him. "Your paperwork was due two hours ago! Owls need to go out, Mr. Potter!"

Harry scratched his head for a few minutes before remembering what was going on. "Err…yeah. My paperwork is done," he stifled a yawn and motioned for McGonagall to come inside. "I just…err…don't have books yet. I'm actually working on that."

He picked up the messy pile of papers and plopped them into McGonagall's arms. "I will be informing your superiors of your tardiness. I will tell you now, Potter, that your performance at Hogwarts will directly affect your job at the ministry. This is your assignment now and should be treated as one instead of as class. Do you understand me, Potter?"

Harry looked a little horrified, but nodded, showing that his ears and brain were still working. "I still don't have books, Professor…"A loud crack interrupted Harry, saving his neck, as Dobby dropped a stack of books that Harry recognized. "Never mind."

McGonagall's stern look never left Harry as the latter wrote down several book titles and the authors. "There is a staff meeting tomorrow at noon. I expect you to be there, Potter- and on time!"

Harry blinked, wondering why he was never told about this staff meeting before (probably somewhere in the paperwork that he never read), and in that second, McGonagall had vanished.

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry muttered, turning to the house-elf that still stood meekly in the living room. "You saved my life! Well…at least my job."

"Dobby does what he can, Harry Potter, sir!" And with a last bow, the house-elf disapparated.

* * *

"We have a new system to help our students be up-to-date with their learning. Since the school has not been opened for four years, we have four years to sort, four years to catch up on," Professor McGonagall announced at the meeting the next day.

Harry had showed up early as opposed to his paperwork, but his eyes often drooped and constant poking was the only way he was able to stay awake. As he looked around the table, he found, to his horror, that Romilda Vane was given the job as the new potions teacher.

"I have my own line of potions! Ever since I used those love potions on you, I've been experimenting, but I could never get it right…but I have become quite an expert, if I say so myself," said Romilda excitedly.

Harry feared what exactly Romilda could never get right and thanked his lucky stars that she couldn't. It could be anything…the strongest love potion, a way to cheat death…anything that could shorten Harry's life span.

"…and so, first through fourth years will start off learning basic magic, however at different paces. Over the next two years, we would like our students to be up-to-date with their learning. _There will be no O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s!_" McGonagall emphasized, waking even Harry up. No O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s? What were fifth and seventh years supposed to do?

"The ministry has granted," McGonagall continued, "that any student receiving an acceptable or higher grade from their teacher will be equal to an N.E.W.T. until the testing system continues next year."

"Well, that cleared everything up," Harry got up at the end of the meeting two hours later. It seemed like the most pointless meeting he had ever attended and if it wasn't for the pokes and McGonagall's stern looks in his direction, he might have taken a nice nap. "So, what are you up to, Gin?"

The latter was gathering up some parchment that McGonagall had handed out and didn't seem to be listening to Harry at all.

"Ginny, is there something wrong?"

"Oh no, of course not," replied Ginny, clearly in a sarcastic tone. "The great Harry Potter never does anything wrong. What can we say? He's perfect!"

Harry's face turned a nice shade of pink. They were now on their way to Hogsmeade in order to apparate back to their homes. "Cut it out. You know that's not true!"

"Oh really?" answered Ginny. "That's not what everyone else is saying! Why, if they had their way, you'd be teaching every subject-"

"And get a headache doing it," Harry interrupted. "Since when do you listen to what everyone else says?"

"Since when do you just happen to get a job where I work?" Ginny fired back. "Do you know why I decided to get this job? To get away from _you._ I wanted to be somewhere where I didn't have to see you all the time, where the press was not constantly at your heels, waiting for your next move. And I want you to leave me alone!"

Harry stood, glued to the ground, and shocked by Ginny's outburst. If he could guess any reason for Ginny's anger, by the look on his face, this definitely would have been his last. "You know that I didn't want this job. This wasn't my ambition." His voice was cold.

"Prove it," countered Ginny immediately.

Harry took a deep breath. How exactly do you prove something like this? "I can't. It was my assignment. It is supposed to remain secret."

Ginny glared, not buying any of his excuses. "From now on, Potter, you are to stay away from me. I don't want anything more to do with you. I don't care if you're Ron's friend, but if you care so much about me as you say you do, you will leave me alone!" In a flick of a second, Ginny was gone.

It was at this point that Harry realized that they were standing in the middle of Hogsmeade and a crowd of curious eyes poked out at every door, listening to their argument. Having the feeling that the next Witch Weekly headlines were going to be "_The Chosen One Loses Girlfriend"_, Harry disapparated.

As he sat by the fire at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry wondered how much of what Ginny said she really meant. It was known that the two had dated while they were in the protective halls of Hogwarts his sixth year, but everything changed in the years after while Harry went on the hunt for horcuxes. With Voldemort gone, it could only be assumed that the two would get back together again…but they didn't. Between Harry's obsessions with become an Auror and finishing something that had been waiting for him, there was little time in his life for love…or Ginny.

Harry never did get sleep that night. His brained turned over what was said until finally, his brain shut down and he woke up the next morning with an unusually huge headache. "If she wants me to stay away from her, then her wish shall be granted," Harry finally concluded. It was only at this moment, when he realized that what he was doing, that he felt a void in his heart.

* * *


	8. Back to Hogwarts We Go!

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 8: Back to Hogwarts We Go!**

**A/N: **The chapters are getting longer! Might this be because I'm getting more reviews? Well, actually…no. It's because there is more to cram in each chapter as the Hogwarts school year begins (because mine hasn't yet). However, reviews are nice ;) Anyways, I already have the next three chapters finished, the only problem that keeps me from posting is that I need to proofread them all again…

**Update: **9 Favorite's and 7 Story Alerts. Thank you, IAMSOAP, 5CANDALOUS, FlameTongue, and IamSiriusgrl for the nice reviews. They were deeply appreciated!

* * *

Harry took one last look around Number 12 Grimmauld Place before making the journey to Hogwarts. He never particularly liked the Black's home, especially after Sirius died, and although he vowed never to set foot into the haunted atmosphere, something did draw him to it. It was the only reminder to Harry of his Godfather, of his parents, of everything that had happened during and before the war.

The place still looked as grim as it did the first day Harry arrived before his fifth year, except a bit cleaner, as slowly Mrs. Weasley was beginning to remodel it. Harry even expected that when he would be back for Christmas, the place would look entirely different with Mrs. Weasley free to work "secretly" on it. He smiled at this thought. Mrs. Weasley would definitely take the opportunity to make the place much brighter.

"Good-bye, Mrs. Black," Harry announced to the portrait that still hung there behind a curtain.

"YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING HALF-BLOOD, LETTING IN YOUR FILTHY MUD-"

Harry quickly shut the front door behind him. "I don't believe I will miss _her_."

* * *

"Harry! Oh, Harry!"

Hermione ran straight for the black-haired man and nearly knocked him off his feet. Ron followed, but not with nearly the same enthusiasm.

"Hey, mate. We came to say farewell and good luck!" Ron approached with a grin.

Harry returned the grin, glad to see his friends one more time. In fact, he had not seen the pair since the staff meeting at Hogwarts. Each time one of them suggested meeting somewhere, Harry would back out, claiming that he had important work to do. In reality, he would sit by the fire, reading about defensive spells that he could teach or his favorite subject of all: Quidditch.

"We will see you for Christmas, won't we, Harry?" asked Hermione.

Harry shook his head. "I have…err…some plans over the holidays. I'll tell you more about them later!" After saying good-bye, Harry jumped on the train. He'd forgotten the mad rush to find compartments and was disappointed to find them all full. The only one he could find was with a brown-haired second year that was reading eagerly and didn't seem to pay attention to him when he entered.

"Hello," another girl walked in. "All the other compartments are full-"

The girl stopped in mid-sentence, causing the other to look up from her book.

"You're Harry Potter!"

Harry looked quite amused. "Err…yeah."

The girl was obviously fighting whether to continue to stare at him or sit down. Finally, she decided to do both. "I'm Alyssa Wood. My cousin, Oliver, has told me so much about you!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oliver? I haven't heard from him in a while…how's he doing?

"Oh, he's pretty well. You know that his Quidditch team almost made it to the Quidditch Cup?" Alyssa questioned eagerly.

Harry nodded, remembering the finals. "Play Quidditch?" he asked of her.

"Oh yes! Oliver has been teaching me since I was three! I'm not much of a keeper, though. I like being a chaser," the girl chattered on enthusiastically.

Harry listened quietly until he noticed many students crowded outside the door, all wanting to have a first look at the "Great Harry Potter." Students were shouting, shoving, and pressing their noises to the glass to see a glimpse. The squeals and shouts were so loud that some of the teachers came down the train to see what was going on. To Harry's misfortune, Ginny was one of them.

A disgusted look graced Harry's presence. "Is Potter here to sign autographs?"

"You're as bad as Malfoy," Harry muttered. Ginny looked astounded, but didn't respond.

"McGonagall is waiting for you at the front of the train," declared Hannah. "She seems a bit irritated. You had better hurry up."

Harry jumped up at the first opportunity to get away from the group of students. Who cares if McGonagall was angry at him? It was better than an angry Weasley and a group of goggling students…

* * *

"Harry, I'm making you Head of Gryffindor," McGonagall proclaimed once Harry was seated in the compartment. "You will also be doing the Quidditch Trials for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff as Professor Sprout has never played Quidditch in her life."

Harry grinned happily. He had entirely forgotten about Quidditch at Hogwarts! However his smile faded when he saw Ginny's dark look. This can't be good…

"Romilda will head Ravenclaw, and Ginny, Slytherin. Ginny, you will also be doing Quidditch Trials for Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I will give you directions upon arrival at Hogwarts of where the houses new dorms are. There will be another meeting next Monday at seven to discuss more school procedures. I will see you all at the feast!" Harry, Hannah, and Romilda took this as their cue to leave, but Ginny stood rooted to the spot, looking absolutely furious.

"Professor, why am I being made the Head of Slytherin? My family is considered blood traitors! We are sworn enemies with Slytherin!" Ginny argued once the door was shut on the compartment.

"Ms. Weasley, you are the only full blood Wizard at the moment that can take on the responsibility as a Head. You should be proud! Perhaps, this will be your opportunity to turn this school around. Since you and Harry are friends, this could be the beginning of a bond between Gryffindor and Slytherin…" McGonagall mused, but Ginny's eyes said nothing of the friendship that she had with Harry. The only feelings Ginny could acknowledge for the famous life-destroyer was anger and hatred. "Ms. Weasley, you swore to carry out your duties and I shall expect nothing less of you. Good day!" McGonagall disapparated from the train, something Ginny never thought you could do, but this left Ginny something to ponder. She may have disliked the Potter boy, but now she was beginning to loath him and everything about him…

Outside, Harry was waiting for Ginny. "Look, Gin, I'm sorry…"

"Well, you know what? I don't care!" Ginny shouted. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be the Head of Slytherin! Just stay away from me!"

"Well, you know what?" Harry shouted back, unable to hold back his anger any longer. "Perhaps you should be Head of Slytherin! You're acting just like one!"

If glares could kill, they would both be dead on the spot. "Just leave me alone, Potter," Ginny growled and went back into the compartment where she slammed the door in his face.

"No, I won't leave you alone," Harry muttered to nothing but the air, contradicting his previous conclusion."I'm going to get to the bottom of this." With a last look at the closed door, he turned back the compartment, fear etched onhis face as he remembered the crowd of goggling students.

* * *


	9. Black from the Dead

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 9: Black from the Dead**

**A/N: **For anyone who is wondering why Ginny is so angry at Harry, and to answer GiGiFanFic's question:

Ginny is angry at Harry for a lot of reasons, one because she's trying to get away from Harry and here he is getting a job next to her, and two, he's named Head of Gryffindor which she wanted. But because the story is mainly following Harry and he's not great at understanding women, we're not going to find out just yet. Anger is usually a sign of disguised hurt, and Ginny is feeling a lot of that these days (I.e. there is more 'juicy stuff' to come; please be patient!).

Thanks to 5CANDALOUS, IamSiriusgrl, IAMSOAP, gldnsunsprite21, and GiGiFanFic for reviewing :). You guys are awesome!

* * *

"First years!" called out a woman's voice above the commotion of students jumping off the train. "First years, over here!" Harry was unsurprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank calling out to all the first years, ready to take them on the annual boat ride across the lake. The giant that Harry had befriended and loved had been missing since the end of the war. Rumors flew that Rubeus Hagrid went and married his love in France, but whatever his reasons were, he was not meeting the first years and Harry felt the disappointment hit the bottom of his stomach. 

After taking a nice ride in the carriages, Harry, Romilda, Hannah, and Ginny walked into the Great Hall. It was definitely much bigger than Harry remembered, leaving more space between the house tables, and the tables were much longer and roomier. For some (including Harry), it meant more food.

"Hello, Harry, Ginny," a dreamy voice came from the table and Harry looked to see a sight he'd never thought he could imagine. Oh no…

"Luna?" Harry looked wide-eyed at the girl he once went to school with. She definitely didn't resemble the Luna that Harry remembered; she no longer wore the unusual jewelry, such as the butterbeer cork necklace or the radish earrings, but her personality certainly didn't change. This is what McGonagall had in mind? What did she want to do? Brainwash these kids? Harry could already imagine it: the owls from all the parents, the end of Hogwarts before it began…

"Of course, who did you think it was?" she smiled happily, scooting over to let Harry sit between her and Hannah, while Ginny moved to the other side of Luna. Well, maybe it won't be that bad. "I had a feeling a wallybog might have gotten to you, with all that you have suffered. They are tiny butterflies that feast on stressed minds, often making them forgetful." Never mind.

Harry hid his head in his robes, holding back his laughter. At one point this might have seemed usual, but it had been a long time since he endured Luna's strange mind. "What are you doing here?" Harry managed to ask.

Luna grinned happily. "Professor McGonagall gave me the job as History of Magic teacher. I have always had a knack for history…" Her dreamy voice droned on as McGonagall stood up to address the school (thankfully).

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" McGonagall announced as Professor Grubbly-Plank brought in the first group of students: the fourth years. Harry didn't realize until he looked around how empty the tables were. Well, of course! With the school being closed, four years of students needed to be sorted! This was going to be a _really_ long night.

"_Oh, I might be a bit more tattered,  
__I might be a bit more patched,  
__But don't think any less of me,  
__I can find the house you match!  
__Of Gryffindor, the brave will find  
__A challenge to earn their glory,  
__Of Ravenclaw, the brilliant mind  
__Soars past the Hogwarts' story.  
__Of Slytherin, the cunning dwell,  
__Use every mean to fame,  
__While Hufflepuff, the most loyal,  
__Are faithful to their name.  
__So, put me on, find your fate,  
__And you will be sorted out.  
__There is no need to worry,  
__Where you land, there is no doubt!"_

The song ended with a round of clapping, although Harry groaned, realizing that he must suffer through this three more times.

* * *

Four hours and many groans later later, McGonagall stood up to give her first, end-of-the-feast speech. There was nothing Harry did not already know, such as the forbidden forest somehow being off-limits to students (funny, that students still didn't realize that, although the name was "_forbidden")_, students are not to use magic in the halls, and absolutely no Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products are allowed outside the common rooms (how this was going to be enforced, Harry did not know, but with the infamous Filch back to work, you can't second-guess anything). 

"Heads of Houses will be taking students to their new common rooms! Good night!" McGonagall finally ended the announcements, to Harry's great pleasure, and he crossed the Great Hall to find the large group of Gryffindors waiting for him. Professor McGonagall had given Harry an idea of where the new common room: somewhere on the ninth floor behind a painting of Madam Yolanda.

When the group of Gryffindors reached the ninth floor, Harry met the painting of Madam Yolanda, a witch that reminded Harry of Professor Trelawney with jet black hair and a wart on her nose.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Harry Potter! I have heard so much-" she began in a raspy, harsh voice.

"Patronus!" interrupted Harry with the password before the painting to could go on. After years of goggling, you'd think people would let up a bit.

Madam Yolanda smirked before opening the portrait hole, revealing the spacious common room. Harry allowed the students to enter before climbing in and looking around. It was much bigger and spread out than the common room that was on the seventh floor, and once again, Harry ached for the days when had been a student.

The small walk down to his own office turned out to be a quest for the Holy Grail. When rebuilding the castle, most of the corridors and staircases had been changed and it took Harry nearly half-an-hour before he ran into Ginny. Literally. Really, who was in charge of building this place? They should have been fired!

"Watch where you're going, Potter," Ginny snarled, getting back on her feet. "Is somebody lost?"

"Of course not," Harry lied, walking past her. "I'm just exploring the castle. A lot has changed. Are _you_ lost?"

Ginny grimaced before turning down another corridor. Despite her tough attitude, Harry could see the expression in Ginny's eyes, revealing the truth that she was just as lost as Harry, but he decided to worry less about Ginny and more about his first class in the morning. He could get around to talking to Ginny at a more convenient date…hmm, date, Harry daydreamed before running into a suit of armor.

A half an hour and seven wrong turns later, Harry found his office and sleeping quarters. It was a plain room with a desk in the middle, shelves and a few windows looking out over the Quidditch field. Nothing fancy, but to Harry, it seemed a lot brighter than Grimmauld Place and Privet Drive put together.

"Hello, Harry."

Harry turned on the spot to see him face to face with Sirius Black. Well, Black's portrait, at least.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. The portrait was hung next to Harry's desk where Harry could always see him. "You have a portrait? But how?"

"An enchantment. Each Black that lived in that house has a portrait of himself hung there. Of course, you have never seen mine because you never go into my mother's old room," Sirius laughed. "I can't blame you, though. She was a scary woman. Anyways, Mrs. Weasley created this portrait to connect with my other one. She thought it would cheer you up."

A small tear dropped down Harry's face and landed on his desk, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. It was like Mrs. Weasley to think of the little things, although Harry couldn't remember a time when she even liked Sirius.

"It's good to see you again, Harry," Sirius said huskily. "Now, I can always fulfill my godfather duties."

Harry smiled, trying to stifle a yawn. It was well past midnight, and the trip to Hogwarts along with the extra-long feast had tired him out. Before he knew what he was doing, he had collapsed onto his bed, falling fast asleep before hitting the sheets…dreaming of the day when he could have Ginny all to himself, taking her on a midnight ride on Buckbeak, and then kissing her under the full moon. And it was a wonder to the staff and students the next morning when Professor Potter greeted them all with big, childish grin.

* * *


	10. Fox Fighting

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 10: Fox Fighting**

**A/N: **Ten chapters later, we _finally_ get to the root of our problem! Ok, we barely touch the root, but now you know that it's there. There is so much more to come, so please be patient! For those who are worried that I won't continue this story, I will begin Chapter 14 today! Yay! So, you can have faith that this story _is_ going something. Why won't I post the next 3 chapters right now? Well, like these 10 past chapters, the next three need polishing up and proofreading. Don't worry, next one will be coming out _soon._

_Thanks to IamSiriusgrl, gldnsunsprite21, Honey P, IAMSOAP, Snorri Pig, and, 5CANDALOUS for the excellent reviews!

* * *

_

Harry sat on his desk as a large group of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff second years shoved into the room, each trying to get a seat at the front. The news that the famous Harry Potter would be teaching at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher flew like wildfire through the school, so that the students crowded eagerly outside his door until Harry nervously unlocked them.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am Professor Potter and this year, we will be learning basic techniques to help you defend yourselves," Harry announced, once the students were settled down and those who did not belong in the class exited. "There is one rule I'm sticking to: I am not going to tell you anything about myself or Voldemort." A few students flinched, but Harry took no noticed. After all the years of saying his name, the response was always the same. "I am here to teach you how to defend yourselves so that you might have the fighting chance that was not granted to all victims of Dark magic, like my parents. Yes, Miss…?"

"Peebles, sir," a red-headed girl spoke up in an unusual squeaky voice. "Why won't you tell us how you defeated You-Know-Who?"

The class sat on pins and needles, waiting for their teacher's response. Harry simply smiled at them, took off his glasses and proceeded to clean them off uncertainly on his black robes.

"Even the greatest wizards don't share all that they know with their apprentices. This burden was given to me by a powerful wizard and at one point I would have done anything to give it back," Harry paused to look at each student's face. There was no way any of these kids could have fought as Harry did. They all had families that loved them, barriers from the evilness that lurked in the darkness. No, it was better that they didn't know. "But now it's mine and I am not going to pass this on so another person could experience my fate. The point of this class is that you won't have to go through what I went-"

"But Professor!" a spiky blonde boy with big teeth interrupted. "Wouldn't you agree that the battle was important? That we could learn something?"

Harry looked at the boy and the rest of the class. It was clear they only had one thing on their mind. "The next student to interrupt me will have points taken from their house," Harry answered quietly, but sternly. "I am in no position to share my experiences and that's the last I will say on this subject." Harry reset his glasses on his face and looked out to see the disappointed faces.

"Please open your book, _Defensive Spells and Counter-curses_, to page seven and read silently to page sixteen," Harry began again. "We will have a discussion over the material, some practice on shield charms, and for homework, a nineteen-inch role of parchment on the importance of shield charms and how they are used. No less than five hundred words. Open your books and begin!"

The second years grumbled miserably as they open their books and slowly read the chapter. Harry couldn't be more thankful when the class period was over, but groaned (again) when he realized that he had three more classes that day to teach. His first break came at lunch, where he met Ginny at the staff table.

"Hey Ginny," Harry greeted as he sat down next to her.

Ginny promptly ignored him.

"Well, come on, you can't just ignore me," Harry spoke quietly. "There's something wrong. Can't we talk?"

"The only wrong thing here is you," Ginny replied haughtily and she marched out of the Great Hall. Harry's bright green eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the doors, but his determination wasn't thwarted. He would just have to try again, he thought miserably, finishing his lunch.

None of the students really paid much attention, except a pair of eyes staring across the staff table. She could only see too well the pain in Harry's eyes…

* * *

The rest of his classes proved to be as eager to learn about his past as the second years. Each class asked the same questions, which sometimes didn't end until Harry took points away from houses for interruptions (double points if they were in Slytherin). All in all, it had been a tiring day, one which Harry did not feel like repeating again, although he had sixteen more classes lined up for the rest of the week.

His first free period occurred the next day after the first break and couldn't have come any sooner. For a while, he wondered aimlessly around the castle, and incidentally found the Transfiguration classroom filled with fourth years.

Pulling on his invisibility cloak (which was useful also for passing quickly by students who would otherwise goggle at him), he followed a late Ravenclaw student into the classroom and stood at the back. Apparently, Professor Weasley was late, but then Harry realized that the fox in the corner was no stuffed animal. It had been sitting there, watching students so stiffly that most of the students didn't even realize that it was alive. When the hour struck, the fox walked to the front of the class and transformed back into the red-haired girl that Harry had once fallen in love with.

"Transfiguration is one of the most difficult forms of magic that you will encounter here at Hogwarts. I do not tolerate any misbehavior in this class and those caught misbehaving will be expelled. _You have been warned_," Ginny's eyes narrowed as her eyes looked over every student in the class. Good way to start off the year, just like McGonagall, Harry thought to himself. "Now, open your books to page thirty-one, and attempt to turn these feathers into pins."

Harry watched the fourth years struggle with their first task while Ginny showed the students the proper procedure, and went around the room helping students. Twice, Harry "accidentally let" the spell slip from his lips, and some surprised fourth years jumped in excitement over their "achievements." However, the students remained baffled at why it wouldn't work a second time.

"Harry, I told you to stay out of my way," Ginny spoke sharply at the end of the class period when the last fourth left the room and door shut behind him. "Don't think just because you are under that invisibility cloak that I don't know you are there. I could smell you across the room and outside the door."

Harry pulled off the invisibility with a broad grin. "You are tricky. I will have to remind my students to stay out of your way. _Defense 101: Stay out of Ginny Weasley's Way_."

"Oh, funny, Potter," Ginny snapped, clearly not amused. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

Harry sat down on a desk and shrugged. "I wanted to see you."

Ginny stood shocked. "Well, what if I don't want to see you?"

"You really haven't got a choice," Harry mused, "since we both work at the same place. But I think we need to talk. There's obviously more to this story that I'm not getting. You can't be entirely angry at me for getting a job near you."

"Well, what if I am?" Ginny retorted coldly.

"The Ginny I knew wasn't like that. She cared about her friends, despite the circumstances," Harry noted calmly, as if Ginny had always fired angry questions at Harry.

Ginny frowned. "Well, the Ginny you knew is no longer around. She died years ago when the Harry she knew broke her heart and never came back to fix it."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Now we were getting somewhere. "The Harry she knew has changed as well. I guess we've never discussed this before. But just because I have changed doesn't mean anything. I wanted to protect you, Gin. Don't you understand?" His green eyes seemed to plead with her- for her forgiveness and understanding nature.

"I understand plenty, Potter," Ginny snarled back. "And now I know never to fall for you and your arrogant head again."

"Yeah, that is a problem," Harry smiled wanly, somehow feeling a lot older than he really was. "My arrogant head does get in the way- although, unintentionally. I would quit on the dime right here, Gin, if it wasn't for my job with the ministry. It's really important."

"Oh, yeah, it's so important!" Ginny yelled in outrage. "So important that you forget about the people you love. Yeah, that's _really_ important, Potter. _Really._" And without another word, Ginny marched out of the classroom, shutting the door behind her.

Harry took a minute to collect his thoughts before throwing the cloak back over him. "No, Gin," he thought grimly, "you really don't understand."

Taking the path back up to his office where Sirius sat snoring loudly in his portrait (Harry suspected that he wasn't really sleeping), he found a few owls had come and gone, leaving messages from the ministry, and to Harry's joy, one from each of his two best friends. He savored the letters before returning to his classroom after lunch to begin another lecture of Defense Against the Dark Arts that he done four times before and still needed to be done another sixteen times.

How do teachers do this all day? Harry thought tiredly, before collapsing again for the rest of the night. But his sleep did not prove restful. He was now being haunted by the same scene as the night before, except this time, Ginny was yelling at Harry, telling him that he was worthless piece of filth. Well, it wasn't entirely unreal. Harry's dream came true the next morning when he once again ran into Ginny in one of the corridors.

* * *


	11. Quidditch through the Weekend

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 11: Quidditch through the Weekend**

**A/N: **Not as many reviews as last time, but I'm not complaining! Thank you gldnsunsprite21, Honey P, IamSiriusgrl, petroleumjellydotone, bigkid-IV, and IAMSOAP for the positive reviews! I don't have any negative…probably because it hasn't been found by any critics…Anyways! Hope you enjoy! Don't do anything I would do.

* * *

"Potter," McGonagall was standing idly inside his classroom, waiting eagerly for Harry to get back. "I have a list of students who are interested in Quidditch for Hufflepuff. I will assume you will get right on it?"

"Err…yeah," Harry answered, taking the list. For a second, he thought the list didn't end. "Sixty-eight people?"

McGonagall nodded. "I dare say, Potter, you are very popular among the students," and the headmistress left Harry to gaze in shock at the list. With his troubles with Ginny, teaching, and the memos from the Auror Office, Harry almost completely forgot about Quidditch. He hadn't even taken a list of Gryffindor students! He could just imagine the look at McGonagall's face when she found out…and so he set out immediately to post a list in the Gryffindor room.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Professor, but the Quidditch field is booked this weekend by Professor Weasley. How about next weekend?" a polite gray-haired witch offered. Madam Hunt was the new teacher, in charge of sports and recreation, including teaching first years to fly and refereeing Quidditch games. To Harry, she resembled a female version of Crabbe or Goyle.

"Yeah, that will work," Harry accepted. It was like Ginny to get right on these things before Harry. "Both Saturday and Sunday?"

"Certainly," the witch posted Harry's name on the calendar.

Harry made his way back up to the castle, but something made him stop in his tracks. He looked around, but there was nothing there. Still, something made him cautious. It must be the smell…

"Ginny," Harry called out, "this hide-and-seek game can't go on much longer. I may not be a fox, but I can still smell dog fur from here."

Peeking out from behind the nearest tree, Harry saw the fox, but in a few seconds, a beautiful red-haired girl took its place. Her glare made it quite clear that she did not enjoy his remark. "If you think dogs smell bad, try taking a shower once in a while, Potter."

Harry laughed. "Good to see your sense of humor again."

Ginny grimaced in reply. "I don't see any humor in it and if you will excuse me, I didn't come down here just for you to bug me. I intended to enjoy the fresh air and that is exactly what I'm going to do."

"Sure, go ahead. Don't let me disturb you," Harry answered casually, before leaving her, now transformed back into a fox, and following the path back up to the castle. He didn't look back at the fox, but if he had, he would have seen the longing eyes following him. However, if there was one thing Harry had learned, it was to never look back.

* * *

"Alright, we're going to start with Chasers," Harry called out to the humongous group of Hufflepuffs. Half the group left to sit in the stands, waiting their own trials, but Harry still faced twenty or so students. In the first fifteen minutes of warming-up, he had managed to get rid of all the first years, a good majority of second years, and half of the third years. Finally, he was left with the difficult chore of picking out the best.

"MICHAEL SCOTT!" he yelled at a short fourth year as the latter lost control of his broom and ran into a group of sixth years. The boy nearly crashed into the ground as he stopped short of Harry, looking a bit frightened. His nose was bleeding and there were some cuts and bruises on his face from crashing into the other students. "Go see…the school nurse."

"Madam Wilmer?" the boy asked nervously.

"Err…yeah-"

"It's ok, Harry, I've got it!" a girl with brown hair came running up. She hardly resembled another student, and as she got closer, Harry recognized the brown hair very well.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Madam Granger, to you," Hermione laughed. "I'm a temporary intern. Oh Merlin, it's great to be back!" She dropped her bag of medical supplies and took out her wand. It only took a minute to heal the frightened boy's scratches and give him a potion to stop the bleeding nose.

Harry looked back at the group of Chasers that were still flying around the stadium. He grabbed his broom, the _Lightning Bolt_ (the latest broom on the market named after him), flew into the middle of the field, and called for the group to halt.

"Alright, we're going to go over some basic Chaser techniques for those who have never played Quidditch before…"

* * *

When Harry finally chose a team, the sun had nearly set and the group was ready for a nice warm dinner inside the castle. Harry was last to leave the Quidditch pitch, with Hermione trudging next to him.

"So, really, why are you here?" Harry asked, holding his bruised arm that must have been the aim of all the Bludgers.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm just taking an opportunity to intern, come back to see the school, and be with a few of my friends. It's only until Christmas," she added sadly. "Well, I must get back to the Hospital Wing. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Harry sighed, remembering that Gryffindor trials were the next day. He didn't think he could take much more of this, but dinner took his mind off his pain…well, that and all the glares from the Hufflepuff table who didn't get picked for the team. One taste of the lasagna with pesto sauce told him someone had tampered with his food. Excusing himself rather early, he made his way to the kitchens where he was served by a highly helpful group of house-elves and Dobby, excited as ever to see Harry Potter back.

* * *

"Harry! You look awful," Sirius greeted from his portrait frame back in his office after dinner.

"Thanks," Harry mumbled, falling into his chair behind his desk.

"You have a few notes," Sirius continued, "from the Ministry and what-not. Oh, and a young woman with fiery red hair decided to visit. Seems I've met her before, but I can't remember."

"Ginny?" Harry interrupted in astonishment.

Sirius beamed, feeling a little more enlightened. "Yeah, that sounds familiar. She didn't say much, but seemed to be looking for something. I don't think she found it, though. She went storming out of the room a few minutes later. Perhaps, you should start thinking about locking your office when you are gone-"

However, Harry was out of the room before Sirius could finish, pulling his invisibility cloak over him.

* * *


	12. TroubleMakers

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 12: Trouble-Makers**

**A/N: **My apologies that this didn't come up sooner. I actually had to re-write this chapter to make it a bit better and now I can be proud of it! On top of things, school and work started for me, so free time is now scarce…but don't worry, this story will be finished sooner or later! Hope you enjoy! Thank you to the seven people that reviewed! I would name you off, but I already did the last few chapters…so, you already know who you are ) Thanks!

* * *

While searching for the red-headed trouble maker, Harry managed to find a few random shortcuts through the castle. As it was the third week of school, the map of the rebuilt school became more familiar, and it became easier to locate places. However, to Harry's disappointment, Ginny wasn't in her classroom, her office, at dinner, or in the hospital wing. It was nearly nine before a stifled sob reached his ears, coming from the History of Magic classroom.

The door was slightly ajar, and Harry took a moment to slip through the crack unnoticed. A jolt in his stomach told him he had found what he was looking for: Luna patting Ginny on the back while the latter tried to hide her face in her arms and stop the flow of tears.

"I'm sure it will all turn out right," Luna predicted sympathetically. "He probably didn't mean to. You know guys better than I do…you know, having six brothers and all. They can be very fickle." Luna ended her sentence with a look in Harry's direction at the back of the classroom, as if she knew he was there.

Harry shuddered beneath the invisibility cloak and stopped breathing.

"But I was so sure," Ginny muttered with another sob, "I was so sure it was going to be there."

Luna took her eyes off Harry and turned back to Ginny, saying softly, "Why don't you talk to him? Ask him? I'm sure he would tell you anything."

"Oh yeah," Ginny laughed sarcastically, looking up to reveal puffy, red eyes. "He tells me _loads._ In fact he tells me so much, that I don't have room for all of it in my brain. Don't be ridiculous Luna! I'm sure Harry talks to Hedwig more than me…or even Buckbeak."

"That's crazy talk and you know it," another voice replied next to Harry. Hermione stood in the doorway, her arms folded and looking particularly angry. "Seeing as how you're treating the poor boy, I wouldn't want to talk to you anyways."

Ginny stared stunned at Hermione as the latter came to stand two feet away from her. She didn't seem to expect the harsh words from one of her best friends…or actually, for Hermione to be there at all. It was apparent in her eyes that Ginny had no idea that the brown haired girl would be interning or in the castle at all.

"Then why in the world are you here?" Ginny retorted quietly, but coldly.

"Because you're beginning to act like Ron when he was fourteen and wouldn't talk to Harry," Hermione argued back. "By the way Ron was acting, you would think that he had planned to get into the Tri-wizard Tournament. Look, Ginny," Hermione softened her expression. Harry could have sworn he saw her exchange a look with Luna, but an eyelash fell in his eye hindering his vision. "Harry isn't at Hogwarts for a nice picnic. He's not even here because he wants to be here. You would be a good friend to remember that."

Without another word or a glance at her friend, Hermione had left the room. Harry thought he caught her eye on her way out, but he dismissed it as another coincidence. He took a second to get the eyelash out of his eye before following Hermione out.

He trailed Hermione down a few corridors before she suddenly stopped. Harry's heart beat faster, every beat vibrating his entire body. As quick as Harry was at catching the snitch, Hermione turned around and pointed her wand at Harry. Harry felt his whole body stiffen and fall onto the floor, his cloak falling off of him.

"I knew it," Hermione whispered with a grin. "Luna tipped me off."

"How did she do that?" Harry answered after being released from the curse.

"What were _you_ doing in there?" Hermione responded.

"Looking for Ginny," Harry answered, picking himself up. "She was in my office earlier. I wanted to know why."

"In your office?" Hermione asked incredulously. "What in the world would she be doing there-oh, of course. Of course that's what she would be doing. How stupid of me!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed that Hermione wasn't sharing her train of thought. "Do you plan on telling me this anytime soon?"

Hermione shook her head. "Did Dumbledore tell _you_ everything that went on in his head? I would watch where I was going from now on, if I were you."

In the moment that it took Harry to dissect what she was saying, Hermione had left down another corridor and back to the hospital wing. To Harry's poor, confused mind, her words meant another sleepless night…_What does Dumbledore have to do with Ginny? Then again, Dumbledore _did_ have auburn hair when he was younger. Maybe it was a red-head thing…

* * *

"Wow," Harry whispered to no one as he watched the Gryffindors fly around the stadium the next morning. This was definitely going to be a better day than the previous. To his surprise, Alyssa Wood had proven to be a copy of her cousin, yet she was out-flown amazingly by a few of the fourth and fifth years. At the end of the Chaser trials, Harry had chosen three other students for the positions: Aaron Miller, Sheena Patterson, and Myles Wilber._

Harry's good mood disintegrated when he began the trials for the position of Seeker. Many of the students trying out hardly caught any of the golf balls Harry was tossing and those who proved to be semi-decent were still not promising.

"Hey, you knucklehead! Let go of it NOW!"

Harry's eyes followed the loud commotion as a couple of Slytherin boys that had been watching the trials started teasing a familiar-looking second year. "Yeah? You want it so bad? Go get it!"

A tall boy with dark brown hair stood up and threw what looked like a lime green pygmy puff onto the Quidditch field. The poor little creature squeaked horribly as it flew through the air, but the girl didn't waste a second to run after her pygmy puff. Before it could hit the ground, she jumped and dove straight for the ball of fur, catching the poor creature in mid air. Harry, who watched in panic at the scene, flew down and landed next to the girl.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked hurriedly, picking the girl up.

"I'm O.K., Professor," Alyssa Wood smiled happily, holding her now shaking pygmy puff proudly in her hands. "I caught Marvin."

Harry looked disbelievingly at the pair. "That was amazing! Would you like to try that again?"

Alyssa grinned happily. "Sure. Can we not use Marvin this time?"

* * *

"She was amazing, Hermione," Harry gloated as he followed the bushy brown haired girl back to the school. "I've never seen anybody dive the way she did. I mean, she could be great. Perhaps, in a few years, she would even beat Viktor Krum!"

Hermione blushed at the name of her former boyfriend. "She reminded me more of you," she laughed. "You could have been great, you know. Well, not that you aren't already, but as a Seeker, you could have been amazing."

Harry smiled faintly. "I gave it up. I had some other things on my mind and I still do. I just wish that things hadn't turned sour. If I just got another chance, then maybe…"

"She'll still take you back, Harry," Hermione commented casually.

"What?" Harry asked confusedly. "What are you talking about?

"What are _you_ talking about?"

"I was talking about my job at the ministry. What do you mean she'll take me back? I seriously don't think that Tonks will assign me out of Hogwarts. You'd think she had given this assignment to get rid of me!" Harry laughed. "What were _you _talking about?"

"Nothing," Hermione answered quickly, but at the age of twenty-one, Harry was a little wiser and better at understanding women…well, at least Hermione.

Harry still shook his head and just shrugged. "I'd rather not talk about _her._"

"Who? Tonks?" Hermione answered casually.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, her and her teal hair. Did you know that their son, Maolo, has _natural_ shocking blue hair? What kind of genes does she have?"

The two laughed as they entered the castle and Harry made his way to the Great Hall for dinner. Once again, he seriously considered taking his dinner in the kitchens, but perhaps today the food would taste a bit more normal. It was pot roast with carrots. Nothing could go wrong there…right?

* * *


	13. The Perfect Clash

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 13: The Perfect Clash**

**A/N: **I'm so sorry that this has taken such a long time! For the first few weeks, I had the worst writer's block: not because I had no ideas, but because I didn't know how to continue. When I finally got the chapter running and finished, I sent it to my beta-reader who ended up getting sick and hung up with midterms. Yucky, huh? Anyways, after probably a month of working on this chapter, I think this is the longest chapter so far. Please enjoy and tell me what you think!

* * *

"You're looking worse by the day, Harry," Sirius peered at him from his portrait the next morning. "Perhaps you're not cut out for this job…"

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry answered a little too grumpily. Sure, he was a bit grumpy every morning, but it didn't help that all night he dreamt of giant pot roasts destroying Hogwarts and some doll named "Polly" wanting to bite his nose off. Although Fred and George denied ever creating such a potion that would cause the victim to dream of the food they eat, they also ensured him that it would wear off…in a few months. However, a nightmare about pot roast was the last thing he needed before a Quidditch match.

Harry made his way down to the pitch after eating breakfast down in the kitchens as he did every morning now. The sky reflected his grumpy mood with heavy, gray clouds and drops of rain pattering the ground around him. His stomach tied in nervous knots as he examined the weather. This was the first Quidditch game in the last four years and already the weather was against him.

"We have to beat Slytherin," Harry told himself. "We just _have_ to."

He took a seat among the other teachers in the stands and down the row, he saw Ginny's face looking equally grim and determined. The two of them had not spoken a word to each other since the beginning of the Quidditch season and Harry actually enjoyed the peace. However, he felt that this tranquility would not last long, especially if Gryffindor won.

"Harry! Looks like a good day for a Quidditch game!" Hermione sat down next to Harry. He replied with a look of astonishment, as if to scream "how could _anyone_ call this foggy, cloudy day 'good?'" But he also knew that Hermione wasn't an expert in Quidditch-strategies like the Weasleys.

"Harry, what's that?" She pointed in the direction of the Gryffindor poles, where the keeper, Alexander Floor, had just flown over to guard.

"That's a keeper, Hermione. You know, like what Ron played?"

"No, not _that: that _over there!It's an owl! What is it doing? It's going to get hurt!" Hermione gasped, as the owl flew right in front Alyssa Wood, who was fighting with Marcus Powell in search of the Snitch.

"Stupid, ruddy owl," Alyssa grumbled as she flew right over Harry, swearing profusely while returning her to attention to the game.

The owl landed in front of Harry and held out its left foot which carried a letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_This is an urgent matter and I would deeply appreciate it if you could get away from the interesting Quidditch game to come meet me at the Three Broomsticks this morning at 11:00. I know of whom you are searching for and I believe that I can be of service to you._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Faithful Friend_

"What is it Harry?" Hermione looked over his shoulder.

"Nothing," he responded putting the parchment in his pocket and returning his attention to the game. "Nothing at all, just some…er…person wanting a book interview."

"I really don't think you should meet them. You will miss the whole match!" Hermione whispered in a harsh tone so that others around them could not hear. "Besides, you don't know who this person is."

Harry looked angrily at her. "I didn't say I was going to meet them," he returned, "but I will excuse myself for more personal reasons."

"Oh?"

"I need to use the loo."

* * *

The castle was always peaceful when students were not present. Harry now found a new use for this peacefulness as he prepared to meet the mysterious "friend." Well, after he took his promised trip to the loo. Still, the Quidditch game seemed as unimportant as one of Luna's History of Magic lessons compared to the unexpected letter he just received.

_I know of whom you are searching for and I believe that I can be of service to you._

Did it mean what he thought it meant? Who else could know who Harry was searching for? Perhaps it was someone from the ministry...but if they have any knowledge, they would have spoken before now. Or maybe it was a previous Death Eater wanting to save his skin now that his master was gone? Then again, maybe that would be too extraordinary.

These thoughts went through Harry's brain while he went through the castle after relieving himself. He was so distracted that he did not see the object that he was walking into and tripped down the staircase into the Entrance Hall, his glasses falling off his face.

"Potter, what are you doing now? You are supposed to be watching the Quidditch match!" a voice spat from the stairs behind him.

Harry put his glasses back on his face, but he didn't need them to recognize Ginny's fiery red hair. "I would think the same thing of you. Is a wizard not allowed now to use the loo?"

"Oh, really? I think differently," Ginny challenged, coming down the stairs to stand a few feet away from Harry.

"You think I can't go potty?"

"No!" Ginny huffed. "I don't think you actually went to the bathroom."

"So, do you think differently…or Hermione?" Harry answered coldly, realizing who his best friend went to after he left. He was thankful that Hermione did not go to someone else, such as McGonagall, but then again Harry was a teacher! He was allowed to do and go where he wanted! Why was she making such an issue of this?

Ginny took a step back, but her fierce eyes bore into Harry's. "You're hiding something. You would want leave your Quidditch team just because some person wants to have a nice chat in a pub? The person probably had a bit too much to drink!"

"What about you? Will you listen to yourself?" Harry said frustrated, but slowly calmed down. "Ginny, you're getting angry over me missing a Quidditch match. Besides, I'm not a student anymore; I am now allowed to leave the grounds whenever I choose to."

"You are supposed to be watching over your team, Harry! Do you care if they win or lose?" Ginny questioned. "Do you care about anything besides yourself?"

"What about you? Slytherin is your team. Shouldn't you be watching them?" he answered irritably. Ginny stood surprised in front of Harry, almost resembling an angry buffalo that had ten sets of horns.

Without taking her eyes off her opponent, Ginny reached into her robes to pull out her wand, but Harry had always been quick. With a swish, he sent a binding spell at Ginny, who dodged it with ease. "Funny, Potter. If that's the way you want to play then let's get this over with," Ginny challenged quietly, sending a spell that Harry blocked with equal ease.

"_Stupefy!" _Harry thought, pointing at Ginny.

Ginny ducked, missing another spell, while thinking, _"Expelliarmus!"_

The spell bounced off Harry like a ball of rubber. "Nice try, Gin."

"Well, what are you trying to do? Stun me?" Ginny retorted.

"Better to hit you with," Harry smiled, dodging another jinx aimed for his head.

"You know, Potter, you're not supposed to hit girls."

"Well, since you're not exactly a girl, then there's no problem, is there?" Harry answered, sending three more curses in her direction.

Ginny's ears began to blend in with her red hair while she ducked to miss another one of Harry's curses and send a couple of jinxes back. "You dated me," she replied lightly.

"Don't think I will forget. It's the first time I dated a-"

"POTTER! WEASLEY!"

Harry and Ginny froze. The two turned to find a flustered McGonagall lying on the ground, appearing as if she had dived to miss a curse that Harry had sent at Ginny.

"My office! NOW!"

* * *

"I can't believe this," McGonagall shouted at the two, now sitting uncomfortably in her office. It looked exactly the Professor Dumbledore had left it before he died, except the only difference being that none of his gadgets crowded his desk and Fawkes no longer resided there. "It's one thing for students to duel, but _teachers? _What do you think you were doing? What kind of an example do you think you were setting? It's obvious that I was wrong about both of you. Potter, I will be contacting the Ministry at once. Ms. Weasley, you will be on temporary probation. Another act like this and I will be forced to dismiss you."

Harry glanced over at Ginny who had was silently sobbing, tears trickling down her now place face. He felt as though he got kicked in the stomach (which he almost did with one of Ginny's well-aimed spells). Ginny should be thankful! At least she wasn't getting sacked. He might as well start packing…

"Potter, I want a word alone," McGonagall called to him sharply, while dismissing Ginny. When the latter exited the room, she continued, "I am not going to fire you from your position, but rather, the decision will be left with the Ministry as to whether you stay or not. I will send you a notice sometime tomorrow."

Harry took his cue to leave, and to his surprise, Ginny was waiting for him outside.

"Harry," she whispered.

"What?" he answered angrily, now feeling even more horrible.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah," he grunted in return. "I'm getting sacked and _now_ you're sorry. You're getting your wish, Gin. I hope you enjoy your job now that I'm out of the way. Thanks." With this last note, Harry turned away down another corridor and made his way back to his office.

Ginny, however, stood stunned with tears flowing as fast as Niagara Falls and was filled with a pain in her heart that she couldn't really describe. Through the beginning of the year, all she could think about was how terrible Harry was and how she loathed seeing or talking to him. "Now, I am getting what I wished and I won't have to suffer anymore…but why do I feel so empty?" she thought miserably.

"Ginny? What are you doing out here? Where's Harry?" Hermione came up behind Ginny.

Ginny fell into Hermione's arms. "It is all my fault, 'Mione," she sobbed into Hermione's robes. "Harry is getting sacked. I was so angry. It is all my fault…"

"There, there, Gin," Hermione tried to calm down the weeping girl, but to no avail.

"We've got to do something, 'Mione," Ginny looked up into her friend's browns eyes. "We can't let Harry get sacked. This was my fault!"

Hermione stared amazed at the girl in front of her. Something definitely strange had happened to make Ginny suddenly so concerned about the person she had loathed for the last few months, but this didn't seem like the time to find out all the details. The rumble of students' feet in the corridors below them told Hermione that the game was over and soon some of the school would see their Transfiguration teacher in her worst state.

"Come on, Gin, let's take you back to your office and tell me everything that has been going on between you and Harry. If we are going to keep Harry from getting sacked, then I need to know," Hermione held her friend at an arms length away from her face.

Ginny swiped some of the tears off her face with her sleeve and consented to Hermione's plan. By the time the students arrived, there was no trace that Ginny, Hermione, or Harry had ever stepped foot there that day except a single tear that melted into the carpet. This one, however, wasn't Ginny's.

* * *


	14. Where's My Cloak?

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 14: Where's My Cloak?**

**A/N: **To life! What a gift, eh? So are midterms. Anyone else feeling the pinch? I hope not! That would be a bummer. Anyways, here's the next chapter! It's a bit of a filler…a bit not. To those who think this story has gone long enough, guess what? The Christmas chapter will come just in time for Christmas! Yay! Just kidding…well, kind of. Please don't give up on me! I'm working as hard as I can! I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and a give a big "thank you" to those who reviewed and wished me a "Happy Halloween." I did have one, thank you ). I had candy!

* * *

Harry awoke the following morning to see more gray clouds and rain splattering his window. Although his team did win the Quidditch game against Slytherin and a few of his players had spent the night in the hospital wing, Harry couldn't bring himself to think about anything else that previous day except McGonagall's promise that the Ministry would take care of him. However promising that might sound, Harry had little faith in the Ministry's decisions. 

A peck at the window brought Harry back to earth, and a rush of wind and rain raced into the room before Harry could close the window. The Ministry owl landed on his bedside table and held out its left foot.

"Couldn't wait until breakfast, could we?" Harry grumbled while untying the letter.

The owl hooted impatiently and snapped at his fingers as if it knew Harry's aggravation. After the owl dove back into the storm, Harry opened the letter. "_A hearing has been scheduled for eleven o'clock this morning. Please be on time. Tonks,_" Harry read out loud.

"So you have a hearing?" a quiet voice came from his right shoulder.

Harry jumped in alarm, pulling out his wand in defense. He could almost laugh when he recognized Hermione's brown hair. "Knocking might save your life one day," Harry advised, tucking his wand back into his robes. "What are you doing here at this time of the morning? Don't you have to do your rounds?"

"They're already done, Harry. I did those ages ago," Hermione answered pointedly. "But that's not what I came here for. I wanted to know what happened with you."

Harry shoved the piece of parchment in her hands and sat down in an arm chair in the corner of his room, concentrating on keeping his heart rate down. Hermione grunted after finishing the short letter, handing it back to Harry. "Well, you brought this on yourself."

"What?" Harry looked flabbergasted at the girl in front of him. "What do you mean _me_? I didn't exactly start this whole thing."

Hermione sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore, Harry. Just don't put too much blame on Ginny, Ok? She cares about you just like Ron and I do, maybe even more. We were just trying to keep you from doing something stupid. You could have gotten hurt, you know."

"I wasn't going to do anything stupid!" Harry shouted, but Hermione had left the room before he could finish his sentence. _Something stupid._ The letter! After all that had happened, he had forgotten about his meeting with the mysterious person! "I've got to find out who it is..." he mumbled while leaving the room to spend another breakfast with Dobby.

* * *

"Harry Potter, your presence has been requested by the Committee appointed by the Auror Department and Magical Law Enforcement. You have been charged by Professor Minerva McGonagall for engaging in illegal dueling with another teacher, hexing an unaware individual, and terrorizing a Muggle. Do you contest?" 

"Do I- what? Terrorizing a muggle?" Harry responded surprised. "I never terrorized a muggle!"

"Tonks, Harry never terrorized a Muggle," Professor McGonagall answered sharply from next to Tonks. "He might have terrorized _me_, but I never claimed-"

"I'm sorry, Professor, I got caught up in the moment," Tonks smiled apologetically, turning her hair electric blue in the process. The Committee around her gave her disapproving looks as if they would never have appointed her the spokesperson. They had no choice, however, as she was Harry's direct supervisor. "However, there is still some gravity in this situation, Potter. Do you realize that you could have hurt another student, besides Professor Weasley or yourself?"

"It was self-defense," Harry argued. "Gin-, I mean, Professor Weasley was moving to hex me!"

"Potter!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Since when do we allow _anyone_ to fight in a duel?"

Kingsley coughed from his seat next to Tonks. "Minerva, please, we will handle it," he declared. He stood up in front of Harry and looked at him solemnly. Through the years that Harry had known the man, he had almost never seen Kingsley look this distressed about anything unrelated to Voldemort. Behind the older man's eyes, Harry recognized an expression he knew very well: disappointment. Harry winced as the older man continued to stare at him, and sunk down into his chair a couple of inches. If only Harry had his invisibility cloak…

"Harry," Kingsley continued, "because this is your first offense in the Ministry, we will not terminate your position. However, in light of this event that you fail to get along with a colleague, we have concluded that after the school year is over, you will be relocated from Hogwarts. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded slowly, not looking Kingsley or Tonks in the eyes, but looking at the grim faces of the other Committee members. Most of them he didn't recognized, but he could guess that they worked from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (which is where the hearing was located). At the end of the meeting, Professor McGonagall rushed off, complaining about Peeves getting into the girls' bathroom that morning and terrorizing a group of Ravenclaw first years. Kingsley and Tonks went back to the Auror Department whispering excitedly to each other, almost ignoring Harry on their way out. Harry, on the other hand, strolled slowly outside the room and apparating down a few levels where he found his best mate snoring over this months' copy of Quidditch Magazine.

"Sleeping on the job," Harry thought to himself, while taking out his wand, and touching Ron's red hair ever so lightly. The latter jumped as if an electric shocked had coursed through his body.

"Harry! What are you doing here? It's Sunday," Ron tried to stifle a yawn.

Harry forced a grin. "I should have known you would be snoozing. After all, that's the most you learned in school."

"Oh, don't try to tell me you thought Professor Binns' lectures were actually interesting!" Ron returned, turning a light shade of pink. "Really, Harry, what brings you to the Ministry? Do you have another assignment?"

"Not exactly," Harry sighed, realizing his best friend was going to find out sooner or later.

A cup of tea and some biscuits later, Ron sat wide-eyed at his desk, a few crumbs still on his chin. "I'm going to murder that sister-of-mine! Now, she's gone too far! What is she playing at anyways?"

"It's not all that bad," Harry shrugged. "I get to leave Hogwarts and work on my original assignment and she gets to live away from that evil Harry Potter."

"But what does she have against you?" Ron bit into another biscuit. "You two dated ages ago and it only lasted a few months. Why is this all coming out now?"

"I don't know, but can we forget about it?" Harry answered. "I'm sick of getting the cold shoulder from her. It's almost a dream come true for me. Almost."

Ron tossed his head back. "Alright, but my mum is insistent that you spend Christmas with us, Harry," Ron informed casually. "When I told her you had other plans, she wouldn't hear of it. She insists that we are your real family. After all, you could have been..."

"Look, just tell her I'm going to be spending it with Remus and Tonks," Harry pleaded.

"Harry," Ron answered seriously, "Remus and Tonks will be spending Christmas with _us. _You have to be there! It just won't be the same without you!"

"I just have other plans, Ron! You and Hermione have a good time with the family. Tell them 'Merry Christmas' and give your mum a hug for me. I'll send your gifts by Hedwig. 'See you later," Harry apparated quickly before Ron could protest and the next thing he could see was the snowy village of Hogsmeade. With heavy steps, Harry made his way back to the warm castle, his mind blank and his feelings numbed. When he entered his office, an owl stood on his desk with a letter attached to it. He opened the letter and immediately recognized the handwriting:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I am sorry to have missed you yesterday, but let me inform you that the information that I desire to pass on to you is confidential. You would be wise to meet me this afternoon at the Three Broomsticks at 17:00. Again, I believe I can be of great service to you._

_Sincerely, _

_Your Faithful Friend_

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Although he had no idea who this person was, he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew this person...in some way. "I am going to be there," Harry thought to himself and went into his room to find his invisibility cloak.

* * *

Hermione was helping a student who had been cursed to bounce off whatever he touched when a disheveled Harry barged into the room. "Harry, are you Ok?" 

"Hermione! My cloak! It's gone!"

* * *


	15. Spit it Out, Already!

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 15: Spit it Out, Already!**

**A/N:** Alright, short note because I have to go to work in ten minutes. This is just for those who can't wait for the next chapter. I'm going to go back over this and make sure it looks good grammatically, so please don't pester me on that. I know it's not a final draft, but some of you guys might die if you don't read this…so yeah. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you enjoy and thank you EVERYONE who reviewed! I got a record of 12 reviews for just this chapter! Yay! Note:two more chapters will be posted before Christmas!

* * *

"You're cloak, Harry?" she whispered. "Why would anyone take your cloak?" Harry shifted his eyes between Hermione and the student she was attending to. Hermione, getting the tip, muttered a few words and touched the student with the tip of her wand. Immediately, the boy stopped bouncing in place and jumped off the table.

"Thank you, Madam," the boy responded politely before running out of the hospital wing.

Harry's eyes followed the boy until he disappeared. "Polite thing," he commented.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, he is. He's also bait for bullying, too. He comes in a couple times a week with all kinds of things done to him. But, you were going to say something, Harry…"

"My cloak is gone. I can't find it!"

"That's very obvious, Harry, but why would anyone want to take it? Who else knows about it besides Ron and me?" Hermione questioned with concern.

"Ginny. It has to be Ginny. She was the one going through my office a few weeks ago!"

Hermione looked skeptically at him. "Ginny? I know you are angry with her, but you shouldn't be making false accusations, Harry. You don't know it was her."

"But is has to be! No one else knows about it," Harry argued back.

"Why do you need it anyways?"

Harry look taken back, but didn't answer.

"I would advise you don't meet them, Harry. You don't know who it is!"

"If I _don't _go, I _won't_ know who it is! This could be important!" Harry exclaimed.

"Shh!" Hermione hushed, pointing at the door that led to Madam Wilmer's office. "Alright, you do what you want; this is your job after all. What happened at the Ministry, anyways? I can tell that you're back."

Harry retold everything that happened between when the hearing started to when he left Ron telling him that he wouldn't be joining the Weasleys for Christmas. When he finally came to the letter, Hermione had a hurt expression on her face.

"You won't be joining with us for Christmas, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I told you and Ron that I had plans," Harry replied, holding his hands up. "I've spent every Christmas with the two of you since we were in school. Why would missing this Christmas make a difference?"

"No reason, I guess," Hermione sat back into a chair and sighed. "You are like a brother to me. It just won't be the same without you."

"According to Rita Skeeter, I'm your soul mate," Harry chuckled.

Hermione smiled. "Yeah, some couple we turned out to be! But really Harry, are you actually planning to meet this 'mysterious' person?"

"Yeah, I am."

Hermione sighed and got out of her chair. "Well, if you plan on meeting this person, then I'm going with you."

"WHAT?"

* * *

At a quarter to five, Harry and Hermione slipped outside the castle and made their way across the grounds. A small layer of snow covered the earth with more falling from the sky, a sure sign that winter was underway. The two had barely made it to the entrance gate when Harry picked up another sound.

"Stop," he commanded Hermione and slowly turned around. "I thought I heard something."

Hermione looked around, but her lost expression showed that she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. "Harry, you're imagining things! There are only two tracks from the castle: yours and mine. Let's go!" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm pulled him forth, but Harry could have sworn that he saw the snow move a few feet behind him.

When the two walked into the Three Broomsticks, Harry and Hermione breathed in the sweet smell of pine trees. The place was decorated with trees and wreaths, ready for the Christmas season. Madam Rosmerta bustled around a tree, swishing her wand back and forth. A moment later, the tree glistened with silver sparkles and bubbles hung off the end of the branches like ornaments.

"Harry! Hermione! What brings you to Hogsmeade in this weather?" Madam Rosmerta asked cheerfully, bringing over two glasses of butterbeer.

"We just thought we'd visit," Hermione replied warmly. "It's been way too long, hasn't it, Harry?"

"Huh?" Harry pulled himself away from staring at the other side of the pub. In the corner booth sat a cloaked person almost hidden in the shadows. "Yeah, it's been long. Come on, Hermione."

Harry pulled Hermione away from Madam Rosmerta and pointed in the corner. "Do you think that's him, Harry?" Hermione whispered.

"Who else would it be?"

"_Anyone_," Hermione replied sarcastically, remembering all the times Harry had been wrong.

Harry got the hint and grunted. "Ok, well, I'm going to assume that's him. Come on." Before Hermione could stop him, Harry marched across the pub and sat down across the cloaked figure.

"What do you want?" Harry demanded. The cloaked person hissed at him in reply and took a sip of some drink Harry had never seen before. "Come on, you asked me to come here! What do you want?" The creature hissed again.

"Harry…" Hermione muttered under her breath.

"Come on; spit it out if you can!"

"Harry!"

"What, Hermione?" Harry turned to her looking annoyed.

"I don't think that's him," she whispered.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because," Hermione whispered, looking nervous, "that's not human. It's a vampire and I think that right now, judging by the way it's hissing at us, _it_ _wants_ us to be his next victims…"

"Oh," Harry muttered, now quite embarrassed. "I'm sorry, sir, my mistake! I'll be going now." Harry pushed Hermione away from the table and across the room to another table. "Why didn't you tell me it wasn't human in the first place?" he demanded.

"I tried to, Harry! I told you it could be anyone! I didn't know it wasn't human until I noticed that it was drinking what looked like blood," Hermione answered irritably. "Let's just wait. This mysterious person knows who you are. If it sees you, it will come to us."

Harry didn't like the plan very much: waiting wasn't one of his favorite pastimes. However, ten minutes went by and no one came. Another twenty minutes passed and still, Harry was sitting in his chair, sipping more butterbeer.

"Harry, I don't think anyone is going to meet you," Hermione finally proclaimed, but a moment too soon. At that very moment, a medium cloaked figure walked casually into the pub. It hardly took a few seconds before the person spotted Harry and sat down at the end of the table.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Potter," the voice whispered in a hoarse voice, "and you, too, Miss Granger." Harry and Hermione exchanged bewildered looks, both looking just as confused as the other. The person kept the cloak over their eyes and the two could barely hear them in the noisy pub.

"Potter," the voice directed to Harry, "she's here. She's hiding in London. I have been tracking her for the last four months. You need to know- you can do something!"

Harry's heart skipped a beat. "You have been tracking her? Why? And why are you telling _me_?"

"She's after you, Harry," the person warned urgently. "She wants revenge for her master. I believe she's been biding her time, looking for a plan. Now, she has one."

"Harry, what is he talking about?" Hermione finally interrupted, looking between the two people.

The cloaked person raised its head a little in surprise. "How could you not know? Who else would want Harry dead more than Bellatrix Lestrange, You-Know-Who's most loyal supporter?"

Hermione blinked. "She's dead- it was in the Daily Prophet years ago."

"Don't be fooled, Hermione," Harry replied, shaking his head, "that was just a cover up. I have been assigned to track her down since I became an Auror. It's why…why I never went back to Ginny. I was didn't want her to get involved- I wanted her to be safe. I was scared." The room was suddenly silent except for some sniffling that sounded far away.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, and then quickly regained her composure. "You should have told her, Harry. She would have understood that!"

"It was an assignment, Hermione," Harry answered, taking a small sip of Butterbeer, but not really tasting it. "I couldn't tell you, Ron, or Ginny. You believed she was dead! Everyone believed she was dead! Could you believe what the Wizarding World would think if I could defeat Voldemort, but not get rid of someone who is just as bad?"

"Oh, so it's your pride, is it?" Hermione sniffed, her brown curls being thrown back.

The cloaked person cleared their throat, interrupting their quarrel. "You don't need to look for her anymore, Harry. She will be coming after you," the person cautioned. "Tonight, I am going to learn her true plans. If I survive, I will send an owl. If I do not, remember my words, Harry. You can do something." The person disapparated before Harry and Hermione knew what was really happening and left the two in silence.

"Harry? Do you know who that was?" Harry shook his head in reply, meeting Hermione's eyes.

"You two might not know who that is, but I do!" In a swish, Ginny pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak and looked him in the eye. "I know those big feet better than the two of you."

"_Ginny?" _Harry gasped, remembering all that he had said. Now, she knew. "What are you doing here? And my cloak! You took my cloak?"

Ginny's eyes looked apologetically into Harry's green ones. "I'm sorry, Harry," she began, "but I was scared for you." For a moment, a beam of understanding flashed between the two and Ginny burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

Harry looked at Hermione who looked ready to cry. This was definitely not what he was expecting when he set out from Hogwarts that evening. After the moment passed by, he broke the silence. "Ginny, you said you knew who it was," Harry asked, while trying to wipe the tears off of Ginny's face.

"Oh yeah," she answered, using the rest of Harry's arm to clean her face. "You won't believe me. It was Neville."

"WHAT?"


	16. Room of Relief

**The Adventure Continued **

**Chapter 16: Room of Relief **

**A/N:** Alright, the chapter of headaches! Which is why I like my title so much…I can now feel relieved that I got this done! Anyways, feel flattered that I was able to finish this. I had such a difficult time with this chapter, starting it three times and never being able to continue…then I realized that there was a bit more explaining to do. However, this is not the end! Please enjoy and thank you to those who reviewed on my last chapter. I noticed that it wasn't so many, but oh well! I don't write for those who don't review. I write for those who enjoy reading and I hope you _do_ enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

Harry sat in his office early the next morning, feeling numb from the previous night's events. Of all the people to give him such important information, Neville Longbottom was definitely the last person Harry suspected. It wasn't as though Neville wasn't courageous enough- the boy had proved himself over and over again. Harry just had always assumed that in the end, Neville would choose a quiet, simple career, such as one involving herbology. He had not expected Neville to even dream about following dark witches and wizards…

A soft knock on the door interrupted Harry's train of thought and without hesitating, he called out, "Come in, Hermione." When the door opened, Harry gaped at the girl before him, not prepared to see Ginny Weasley standing in the door way, still wearing her robes from the previous night and holding Harry's invisibility cloak. "Ginny!" Harry gasped.

"Hi, Harry," Ginny whispered, conjuring a fluffy chair in front of his desk and nervously playing with a lock of hair as she sat down. "I guess I have a lot to explain now, don't I?"

Harry nodded silently, still staring at her red hair. "Yeah," he finally admitted, now feeling a bit irritated. "Care to tell me or are we going to pretend that this whole incident never happened?" His words were a bit sharp, even to his own ears, but Harry felt that he did deserve an explanation for what happened. After Ginny had announced her presence at the Three Broomsticks, she had vanished again and neither Hermione nor Harry had seen her since.

"I wish I could pretend it never happened," she answered slowly, still fidgeting with her hair, "but you know very well that it wouldn't solve anything. I have been so stupid this whole time. I really thought that you didn't care about me at all. I mean, Hermione kept telling me-" She paused, looking at the window.

Harry followed her gaze to the lake outside and turned back to her. She had a mixed expression on her face as if she was fighting with herself. "Yes?" he encouraged her to continue.

"Never mind what Hermione said," said Ginny hastily. "I still care about you, Harry. I have _always_ cared about you-"

"-Funny way of showing it-"

"-Even when I was really angry with you," she continued, ignoring his rude comment. "I have just been so confused. I thought you liked me…liked me the way you used to like me. I thought that if- well, _when_ you came back from saving the wizarding world, you would come back to me, too. But you never did, Harry. You were so intent on becoming an Auror…that I felt slighted. You never explained to me why your work was so much more important than anything else."

"Well, you know now, don't you?" Harry replied with an expression full of concern.

"Yes, I do now," Ginny sighed, ceasing to play with her hair and beginning to rub the soft invisibility cloak in her lap. "I wished you would have told me from the beginning what you were up to instead of ignoring me. We both would have felt a lot better and maybe none of this would have happened, but instead, it killed me everything I found you hanging with Ron and Hermione. Sure, you could be _their_ friend, but you couldn't be mine? Every time I thought of you, I just grew angrier and more hostile.

"I agreed to get a job at Hogwarts because I needed independence away from you lot, and away from my parents. I thought that maybe if I was away from you, I could forget the way you treated me or, possibly, you would miss me enough that you would...like me again. Then I found out in the Daily Prophet that you were being assigned to Hogwarts as well.

"You've noticed that I haven't been terribly ecstatic with the idea," Ginny mused, a dark look filling her eyes as if she were recalling a terrible memory. "You would think that I would be thrilled! We would be working together! I would get to see you everyday! But I wasn't thrilled at all. My plan to get some space was delayed as I learned that I would be working both with you and Hermione. My frustration got the better of me and I took a lot of my anger out on you, Harry. I am really sorry about that." Ginny paused to take a breath, half-hoping Harry would yell at her for how childish she had been. However, Harry just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I should have never taken your cloak, Harry," Ginny apologized. "Luna told me that you were in my classroom the night after I went into your office. You're probably wondering why I went into your office, huh? I feel so stupid now that I think about it. I went to see if you had kept any of the letters I had written to you in the past few years. I had kept every single one of yours…well, all three, at least. I wanted to know if you treasured my letters like I did yours. They were not in your office, though. I would have looked in your quarters but I ran out after Sirius reprimanded me for invading other's privacy." Ginny eyed Sirius who was pretending to sleep in his portrait, yet she could tell that he was catching every word that she spoke.

"I did keep your letters, Gin, if you were wondering," said Harry at last with a small smile. "I just don't keep them locked up in my office. Fred and George have taught me a few things about Hogwarts students."

Ginny returned the smile nervously, yet it turned into another frown. "I didn't know that. I was really angry with you after that. Then Hermione told me about the letter you received from that 'mysterious person.' For a moment, I was actually worried for you. People just don't send anonymous notes everyday and you could have played into a Death Eater's trap, hoping to get revenge for his master. Hermione suggested that I find out what was wrong. She knew that I was angry with you, but she thought that if I showed some concern that maybe we could break a few icebergs. I followed you back into the castle and stole your cloak. I had full intention of following you to the Three Broomsticks after that. I took a short cut and saw you coming down the stairs. That's when I shot a spell to make you trip while I stuffed the cloak in my pocket. You really aren't as clumsy was you think you are," Ginny added humorously and began to chuckle, but stopped when seeing Harry's annoyed expression.

"Alright, I did get a bit carried away after that. I was so worried that you saw me with your cloak, so I bit your head off before you knew what was happening. Then my temper got the best of me and…" Ginny's voice trailed off and Harry understood that she did not want to recall the events of Saturday night. It had really been a mistake on both parts.

"How did you know that I got another letter, Ginny?" Harry changed the subject after a moment. "You followed me to Hogsmeade. How did you know?"

Ginny smiled mischievously. "I was in the hospital wing with Hermione under the cloak. She had a patient at the time and I didn't want to be recognized. She knew I had the cloak, but protected me anyways when you appeared, accusing me of having it. Hermione _did_ tell me that I was wrong to take it, but she knew that if she told you, it would make matters worse. It wasn't hard to follow you two to Hogsmeade after that. You heard me trip in the snow once, but I was careful enough to stay in Hermione's footprint so that you wouldn't grow too suspicious.

"You know what happened after that, Harry," Ginny finally concluded her thirty-minute confession. "I heard what Neville said about spying on Bellatrix Lestrange and then what you said about protecting me. I never knew that was the real reason you were so attached to your work and so distant from me. It was sweet, but you should have known before that I am able to take care of myself. I'm not another Cho Chang that's about to wash your robes with my tears."

Harry laughed at her comparison with Cho, but Harry also realized that Ginny was right. Ginny was a lot braver and more determined than some of the workers in the Auror Department and she deserved more respect than Harry had given her in the past. He had spent so long fighting Voldemort and then training for the Ministry that part of him still believed that Ginny was the young sixteen-year-old that he had left at home.

"I guess I'm sorry, too, Ginny," said Harry, running a hand through his hair. "I really did underestimate you. You were right about me avoiding you, too. I didn't know how you would take it if we couldn't resume our relationship. I had hoped that if we didn't talk about it, we could hold it off for a while. I can see now that my plan backfired. You deserved an explanation and I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you. Really, Gin, I _am _sorry."

Ginny smiled meekly, her eyes misty with tears that wouldn't fall. While spilling out everything that had happened since that past summer, Ginny also understood something while watching Harry's readable expressions: things would never be how they were. Both Harry and Ginny had grown up in so many ways since they were in school and, each one wondered privately if the affection they had for each other was worth starting another flame.

Harry looked down at his hands and realized how pale and cold they had become in the last few minutes. "Classes begin in an hour," Harry stated after glancing at the clock and then examining his hands again.

"I know," Ginny sighed, now looking very tired and wishing she had slept more, "but I wanted you to understand before you choose to hate me for the rest of your life."

"I don't hate you, Gin," Harry protested. "I've always liked you. You have to remember that."

Ginny laughed a little. "I can name a few times when you would have cursed me into tomorrow if you could. But really," she added seriously, "I came mainly to give your cloak back. I don't think I will need to follow you anymore…and please don't sneak into my classroom again. You will be welcomed without getting yelled at now."

The two individuals smiled awkwardly at each other until Ginny stood up to leave. "Well, I'll see you, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Ok, well…see you, then," said Ginny as she turned to leave the office.

And then Harry thought of something- something that could make up for some of the pain and confusion that she had suffered because of him. "Ginny, wait!" he called out, jumping out of his chair and almost knocking his glasses off at the same time. Ginny spun around, her hair flying around her and almost hitting Harry in the face as he stopped barely two feet away from her. "I do owe you _something_." And in a sweep, he took her in his arms and held her for what seemed like hours, and then as if they both knew it would happen, their lips met…they didn't need to say anything else to know that they forgave one another.

* * *

(This Is **NOT** the End- Though it does scary me that someone thought this was a Cliff-Hanger...) 


	17. Christmas Countdown

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 17: Christmas Countdown**

**A/N**: A bit choppy, I know. These are a few flashes of the weeks and days before Christmas. The next chapter will be posted soon (either before or on Christmas day) because it will be my Christmas chapter. There is much to be done after Christmas, too, so I think I've finally reached my half-way point. Scary, huh? Ok, maybe it's not so bad, but I predict that it will take me another twelve-fifteen chapters before I actually finish this story. Thank you to all the people who reviewed! I'm glad you liked that last chapter and I hope this one is equally entertaining. I hope you aren't confused about Harry and Ginny. They aren't exactly seeing each other, but they're definitely getting more…friendly, and Christmas Eve is a month or so since they forgave each other. If it is to confusing, please tell me. I wasn't exactly certain how I should put their feelings down… So, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I've never seen Ginny like this, Harry. It's almost like she won a cauldron full of galleons!" exclaimed Hermione, neatly setting down a stack of books into one of her trunks. "Are you listening to me, Harry?" 

"Wha-? Oh yeah, Ginny. She seems happy," Harry answered quickly, watching a box of vials fly through the air and land next to the stack of books.

Hermione gave Harry a skeptical look and tossed another box of potions on top of the vials. In the three weeks following their conversation in Harry's office, neither Harry nor Ginny had mentioned any part of it to their mutual friend. To the school, it appeared that Harry and Ginny had almost changed over night: no more scowling at each other in the Great Hall, Ginny actually smiled in class, and both teachers were assigning less and less homework. The students couldn't decide whether this change was due to the holidays or if they were actually beginning to like each other. Either way, no one seemed to complain.

"Do you have any idea why?" Hermione persisted.

"Nope," said Harry. "Not a clue. You?"

"I think you're lying, Harry," Hermione continued. "Did you guys forgive each other?"

Harry eyed Hermione casually, and levitated a pillow from one of the hospital beds to fall on Hermione. "In a way, yes," Harry answered simply. "I can't imagine why she would be happy about it, though." Of course, again, Harry was lying through his teeth. He knew exactly why Ginny was acting a lot brighter lately, but he wasn't ready to tell the world just yet.

"Alright," said Hermione, deciding that Harry wasn't going to divulge more than that, and throwing the pillow back at Harry. "Well, then tell me what you plan to do this Christmas."

Harry grinned. "You know, I reckon I'll watch a game of Quidditch, drink a bit of butterbeer, and spend some time with some pals at the office. Dean and Seamus invited me to spend a few days with them. I think I just might."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed. "I thought you had plans, Harry! I thought you were actually doing something productive, like working or something!"

"I'm joking, Hermione, calm down!" Harry laughed at her sudden outburst. "I really do have to go into the office. Especially after what Neville has told me, I have a lot of paper work to fill out before I come back here to Hogwarts. I might drop in at the Burrow, who knows? That depends on what happens in the next few weeks…"

* * *

The Hogwarts Express left at 11am on Friday morning, ready to take students home for the holidays. Harry and Ginny stood on the platform, waving to Hermione, who had decided to take the train instead of apparating with all her luggage. 

"I'll see you soon, Ginny!" Hermione waved back. "Merry Christmas, Harry!"

"Bye, Hermione!" both shouted back and watched the train leave the station and go out of sight. The two made their way back to the castle and up to Harry's office in silence. "Are you going to apparate or floo?" Harry asked, coming into his office where his trunk sat open next to his desk.

"Floo," Ginny answered. "You?"

"I'm apparating to the office. Ernie is coming back from Hungary tonight and we have a meeting with our supervisor right after," Harry explained, grabbing a pile of robes and stuffing them in his trunk.

"You never stop working, do you?" Ginny smiled, folding her arms.

Harry walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "For you, Angel, I wouldn't want anything else than this stupid assignment to be over."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You mean you want to leave Hogwarts?"

"No! Not _that_ assignment!" said Harry, holding her at arms length again. "You know what I'm talking about; the one about this certain person who killed my godfather."

"What would happen if you _did_ finish her off, Harry? Wouldn't you have another assignment that would keep you busy? Wouldn't there be another threat of danger? Would you _ever_ feel that I was safe with you?" Ginny asked exasperatedly.

Harry was taken back by her reaction. In fact, he had never seen it that way. Of course, he had always assumed that Bellatrix Lestrange would use the same tactics as Voldemort in killing those who were close to him (which was the main reason for keeping a distance from Ginny)…but what if someone else came along with the same threat? What if Harry could never be with Ginny because of his work?

"I don't know," Harry answered honestly. "I don't know what I would do. I guess I would have to be in that situation to really know what my options were. For now, though, keep believing that there won't be anyone else after her and hopefully, you'll be right."

"Harry, I'm not going to believe a lie. You know it's a lie, _I _know it's a lie! Dumbledore is famous for defeating the dark wizard, Grindelwald, and then look what happened! You-Know-Who appeared, worse and more frightening than those before him! You can't expect life to be all peaches and cream, can you?" Ginny cried, staring in Harry's eyes, searching for an answer.

"Gin," Harry said after thinking it over, "we'll have to take this one step at a time. You can't expect me to have all the answers to something that is only hypothetical. Just trust me, Ok?"

Ginny nodded, suddenly feeling tired. "I better get going, Harry. McGonagall is waiting for me so I can use her fireplace. Merry Christmas," said Ginny, looking into his eyes.

Harry pulled her into his arms again and kissed her on the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, Gin. 'Take care of yourself."

"I will. I always do, Harry." With a last look, the red head disappeared and Harry finished his packing. After locking his office, he made his way to Hogsmeade, ready to apparate back to Number 12 and then on to the office.

* * *

Christmas Eve came sooner than Harry had anticipated and the entire day, he sat at his desk, reading over his report and comparing it to Ernie's. Ernie sat at the desk behind him, skimming through a couple of books: "Magical Areas in England" and "What Muggles Can't See But Wizards Can." A few more books were piled on the floor next to him and his eyes drooped horribly as he came to a picture of a dementor. 

"Harry, it's useless doing this tonight," Ernie yawned, staring at the clock which now told him that they had one hour before Christmas. "I'm not finding anything. In fact, I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. What am I looking for again?"

Harry peeled his eyes off of Ernie's report to see the latter almost fall out of his chair. "Anything," Harry replied. "There's something we're missing. How could the Lestranges be in London? We would have known. Our sensors would have gone off."

"Not necessarily, Harry," Ernie countered. "How did Sirius Black get past the dementors? The dementors would have known it was Black if Black was in his human form, but he wasn't, so Black got through. Perhaps Bellatrix Lestrange is an animagus, too. She is a Death Eater; she wouldn't mind breaking a few rules."

"Perhaps," Harry yawned, watching Ernie's posture fall onto his desk.

"We need to break for the night, Harry," said Ernie, picking himself up. "I told my folks that I would be home for Christmas and at this rate, we will be here for weeks. Come on, you haven't slept in days, either."

Despite Harry's determination to keep going, he had to agree with Ernie. Throughout the day, he had felt like collapsing onto his desk and taking a long nap. If he had not been so resolved on finishing his report, he would have apparated home hours ago. "Alright," Harry sighed, closing his report and with a swish of his wand, he sent it flying to Tonks desk. "I guess that's it for the night. I'll see you the day after?"

"You would come in on Boxing Day, Harry?" Ernie looked astonished. "Tonks gave us this whole week off and here we are slaving over this assignment. I'm going _home_, Harry, _home._ Don't expect to see me until next week!"

Harry shrugged. "You can do that, but I still have more work to do. I have another report to write about Hogwarts. The Ministry is now requiring a weekly report."

"Yeah, Tonks told me about your little, tough spot," Ernie answered slowly. "A shame really. I'm sure you're doing a great job, but in the meantime, I'm going to catch some sleep, Harry. You take care of yourself. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Harry answered as Ernie disapparated. After cleaning off his own desk, Harry disapparated to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, little knowing what to expect…

* * *

Harry looked in shock at his living room. The place was clean and dusted, a fire roared in the fireplace, and huge tree the size of Hagrid filled one corner of the room. The tree was magnificently decorated with gold phoenixes flying around the tree, figurines of fairies danced on the branches, and a huge star at the top, lighting up the room. Harry didn't need this light though to recognize Ginny's sleeping form in the armchair next to the fire. 

Harry came over and kneeled in front of her. "Gin!" he whispered in her ear. "Ginny!"

A brown popped open and Ginny smiled as she stretched her arms. "Harry?" she yawned. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Gin, it's me," answered Harry. "What are you doing here?"

"We're spending Christmas with you, Harry," said Ginny with a grin from ear to ear.

"What?" said Harry. "Who's 'we'?"

Ginny's smile grew wider. "Oh you know, just a few people- Mum, Dad, Bill and Fleur and Baby Adeline, Charlie with some girl named Mallory, Fred and George, Ron, Hermione, Remus, Tonks, and me."

"What?" Harry cried. "You're whole family came? But…how?"

"Mum was very upset that you weren't coming," Ginny explained, getting to her feet. "And really, it just wasn't the same. It was Hermione's idea to come here and surprise you. We couldn't help it, you see. You _are _a part of our family whether you like it or not."

Harry looked around as though he was expecting a Weasley to appear out of the shadows of the room. When he was convinced there was no one around, he turned back to Ginny. "You know, a month ago you would have kicked me out of your family in a heart beat," stated Harry solemnly which turned in a joyful smile. "Now, you guys have brought Christmas here. It's wonderful! It looks so happy! I'm surprised."

Ginny took one of Harry's hands and pulled him up to stand in front of her. "Christmas is definitely a time to change," she added quietly, "and I'm trying to make it up to you."

Harry smiled, picking Ginny up into his arms and twirling her around the room. "I think you made it up to me," Harry laughed as he put her down on the ground again. "I haven't been this happy in a long time."

"Good," Ginny answered. "I'm glad you're finally happy. This means I can go to bed now. Do you realize that it's almost midnight? We have fifteen minutes before Christmas!"

"I know," Harry noted as stretched his arms. "Where is the rest of your lot anyways?"

"Upstairs in bed where you should be!" Ginny said matter-of-factly. "You _do_ look terrible, Harry. Mum will throw a fit when she sees you tomorrow if you don't get some sleep right now. Come on, up you go!" Ginny commanded, pushing Harry up the stairs. Harry didn't mind, though. Falling asleep was very appealing at that moment, and with the best family in the world sleeping underneath his roof, Harry was eager for chance to thank them in the morning. Perhaps this Christmas wasn't going to be so bad after all…

* * *

(**Another Note**: Thank you to all of you who reviewed my other story, "Merry Christmas, Harry." :) ) 


	18. Perhaps Christmas Was a Good Idea

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 18: Perhaps Christmas _Was_ a Good Idea**

**A/N: **Sorry that I didn't get this written in time for Christmas (as it is now December 26), but I will assume that all of you had been as busy as I was, running around trying to buy the perfect gift (gift cards)! Anyways, I hope your Christmas was wonderful and full of cakes, pie, and candy :) And this is my Christmas gift to you: another chapter and my longest one yet! Merry Christmas and I hope you are enjoying your presents! (For my Jewish readers: Happy Hannakuh!)

* * *

"Harry! Oh Harry, you're here! Ron? Ginny? Wake up! Harry's here!"

Harry barely opened his eyes and recognized Hermione's brown, fuzzy outline. Sitting up in bed, he looked around him. He was in his own bed at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, he was in his pajamas, and his glasses were on the table…how did they get there? How did _he_ get there? Like a dead pigeon falling from the sky, it him- it was Christmas! The Weasley family was here for Christmas!

"'Mione?" Harry mumbled. "Shut up." He fell backwards into his pillow and tried to roll over, but something prevented him from moving. Quickly putting on his glasses, Harry gasped at the surprise next to him and nearly jumped out of bed. "Ginny, what are you doing?"

Ginny jumped at the same time, but looked apologetically. "I got cold," she answered meekly, pointing to her bundle of blankets next to Ron. "It was only for a little while. You were fast asleep. I didn't think you would mind."

"Harry, you slept with my sister?" Ron gawked at the two of them in confusion. "What's going on here?"

Hermione looked amazed at Harry and Ginny, not quite understanding what was happening, either. "Awkward moment?" she questioned tensely.

"It's not like that!" cried Harry, standing up and looking at Ginny. "I didn't ask for her to sleep in my bed!"

"Right, mate," Ron recovered with an amused grin. "Next time you want to sleep with my sister, I think you should ask permission first- from Mum."

Harry shuddered at the idea of what Mrs. Weasley would say if she had been the one to walk into Harry's room instead of Hermione. "Let's forget about it, ok?" said Harry, finding the small pile of gifts next to his bed. "It's not like that at all."

"Not like what, Harry dear?" Mrs. Weasley walked into the room and looked questioningly at the black-haired man.

"Oh, nothing," Harry blushed, glancing at Ginny who was also turning a magnificent shade of red. "Is everyone here?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, yes!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed excitedly. "Bill and Fleur came all the way from France; Charlie came from Romania with a nice girl…"

Harry grinned to himself, half-listening to Mrs. Weasley go on about her children. Ron and Ginny seemed to have given up on listening to their Mum go on about the family and began to tear open the pile of gifts that were left next to their beds. Hermione was already wearing the sweater that Mrs. Weasley knits every year and looking through a new book that Harry had purchased her from Diagon Alley ("Magical Cures for the Worst Household Disasters" by Taylor Green). Perhaps having Christmas with the Weasleys _was_ a good idea after all…

* * *

The smell of Mrs. Weasley's cooking filled theirs nostrils as Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron descended the stairs. When they reached the living room, Harry gaped at some of the best Christmas decorations Harry had ever seen, even at Hogwarts. If he thought the house looked amazing the night before, it was nothing compared to the scene in front of him.

"Merry Christmas, Harry!" Fred and George greeted in unison, both holding their wands and shooting spells around the room. A pile of snow fell from on them before the two stopped speaking and knocked the twins off their feet.

"I don't reckon we should say those two words in the same sentence again," Fred suggested, rubbing the back of his head.

George shook his head, sending snow all over the room. "I reckon I agree with you, mate!"

"What was that?" Hermione gasped, looked up at the ceiling: instead of a ceiling, grayish clouds whirled around, threatening to drop snow on them.

"That, my friend, is our latest in Christmas decorations from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" George introduced, regaining his balance. "We got the idea from Hogwarts, of course, only the ceiling is temporary."

"It reflects the sky," Fred added, now standing up straight next to George, "only, we've changed it a bit. Hope you don't get snowed in, Harry!" At that moment, another pile of snow dropped on Fred.

"I don't think those two words should go together, either, Fred," George laughed.

This was only one of the few surprises the group found in store for them from Fred and George. It didn't take long for everyone to realize that the ceiling dropped snow on anyone who said the words, "Christmas," "Pudding," "Snow," and "Harry." Of course, this made for an interesting conversation for those who didn't wish for the wet, white surprise.

"Merry-er-Happy Holidays, Har-, you know what I mean," Remus Lupin greeted Harry as he made his way into the kitchen, leaving the others to enjoy the various decorations. Harry found Lupin, Tonks, and their blue-haired son, Maolo, sitting. "How is life at Hogwarts going?"

Harry smiled with a sudden feeling of relaxation coming over him. It had been almost a year since he had seen his former Professor, although he saw Tonks, Remus' wife, almost everyday. Tonks looked up to see Harry.

"Wotcher, Harry!" she smiled. _Pfft!_ A pile of snow fell onto Tonks head. "Those twins!" she grumbled. "I can't even say 'you know what' without getting a hit with a mound of ice! Can't you do something about this, Molly?"

Molly looked over her shoulder with a wary expression. "What? Oh, yes: _those two,_" she replied. "Fred! George!" she cried, storming out of the kitchen and leaving a boiling pot of potatoes on the stove. A minute later, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny ran into the kitchen, shutting the doors behind them.

"Don't go out there," Hermione warned, barring as if Harry or the Lupins had planned to instantly leave the room.

Ginny sat down next to Harry and began to laugh. "Mum is taking care of them," Ginny answered Harry's quizzical expression. Harry didn't need to wait long to find out what that meant.

Fred and George crashed the door down that Hermione had desperately tried to keep close (having left her wand in her room, it didn't take much to break the door down.) Both twins were covered in their magical snow, resembling miniature models of the abominable snowman. Molly came marching behind them with a smug look.

"If that's the way you two will treat Harry's house, then you will help clean it as well! No magic!" Molly threatened.

"But Mum!" George argued. "We're of age! You can't boss us around!"

"Yeah," Fred agreed. "Plus, everyone likes our decorations!"

Molly towered over the twins with an evil glare, despite her lack of height. The twins cowered in fear as Molly pulled their ears to the sink to begin cleaning the dishes, muttering something about "what I have to do to get some respect around here…"

* * *

Although, Molly put an end to the cursed snowfall, she couldn't remove all the pranks in store around the house. The mistletoe hung between the kitchen and living room cursed anyone who dare to walk pass it without snogging someone; some of the candy that lay around in dishes Harry could have sworn he had seen before in the twin's shop; and white powder burst out of every chair everyone sat on, giving the room a stench that reminded Harry of old gym socks. Still, Harry couldn't remember having a better Christmas and a cold feeling touched the bottom of his stomach as the Christmas dinner that night came to a close.

Harry sat between Ginny and Ron, playing with his dessert and listening to bits and pieces of conversation. Mr. Weasley, Lupin, and Tonks were discussing new Ministry laws while Charlie was arguing with Fred about the latest potions on the market and which ones will be profitable. George, on the other hand, was discussing business with Bill about investing in his company.

"After all, other high profile individuals have taken an interest in our company," said George, giving Harry a wink.

Harry smiled and turned to Ginny who was talking to Fleur and her Mum about the shopping this Christmas. The only people that were not deep in conversation were Ron and Hermione, both sitting just like Harry and fingering their food. Harry couldn't understand what made them so quiet, but at some points, Hermione would nudge Ron in the gut and both faces turned red.

Finally, after the conversation began to die down, Ron stood up and cleared his throat, "I have-er- something to tell you," Ron began, his voice unusually high. "Umm…Hermione and I…er…are planning to get married."

The room fell into complete silence, with each pair of eyes on the couple. After what seemed like a minute, Bill stood up, came around the table, to pat his brother on the back and offer his congratulations. Like a switch turning on, the noise came back at full volume as each person enthusiastically offered their congratulations.

"I can't believe if, mate!" Fred shook Ron's hand in shock.

"Yeah, who would have known that you had that up your sleeve?" George added.

"Oh, my little boy!" Molly fussed, crushing both Hermione and Ron at the same time. "Of course, you aren't _little _any more, but I remember when you were small and Bill and Charlie-"

"Thanks, Mum," Ron muttered, turning deep red with embarrassment.

Molly wiped a tear from her face. "Oh, you are so grown up now!"

"You mean, you haven't noticed that the last few years, Molly?" Tonks teased, hugging Hermione.

Everyone fussed over the news, offering advice, and questioning the couple endless about their wedding plans. As it seemed, Hermione and Ron had had this planned for months, but both wanted to share the news with the entire family at the same time. However, the only people who hadn't jumped up and danced for joy were Harry and Ginny, who both sat in shock at the table.

Harry had a small smile on his face, feeling happy, yet saddened. He had always thought that Hermione and Ron would eventually fall for each other, but somehow, he had never suspected anything like this would happen. The new engaged couple had managed to keep their relationship a secret from their mutual best friend, but Harry knew only too well that keeping it from him wasn't a hard feat. Between working, studying, and now his job at Hogwarts, he had missed an important part of his friends' lives. He had never felt more distant from Ron and Hermione than at that moment when he realized that he wasn't the same person he had always been. With another stab of pain, he also realized that Ginny had been right all along: he was an entirely different person.

While the crowd of excited family members marched to the living room, Harry still sat in thought at the table, wondering how all this could have happened without him. "Harry?" Ginny questioned attentively, her brown eyes looking into his while he tried to avoid them. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, peachy," said Harry with a hint of sarcasm, finally getting up.

"They wanted to tell you first, you know," Ginny explained, "but you have been so stressed out and worried that they wanted to wait until you were feeling better-"

"Oh really?" Harry dropped his happy expression for a sullen one. "I'm sure they were _dying_ to tell me! I saw Hermione everyday for the last four months; don't tell me she could never find a chance to tell me!"

Ginny's mouth opened as if to reply, but closed it again as deciding that to argue this wasn't worth it. "You're right, they should have told you from the beginning," Ginny replied, angry and sarcastically. "Let's go in there and tell Hermione what you think!" Ginny marched out of the room, leaving Harry in a worse mood. For the first time in the last couple weeks, he wished that for once, Ginny wouldn't talk to him again.

Harry came in the room, his face plastered with a fake smile, and a half-an-hour later, managed to steal away into his room. In his room, Harry fell face forward into his bed and closed his eyes. He didn't look up when he heard footsteps enter his room and neither did he flinch when warm body cuddled next to him. Instinctively, he pulled the warm body close and held her there. Before dozing off, Harry heard Ginny's voice breath in his ear: "I'm sorry, Harry."

With a tired sigh, Harry removed his glasses and whispered back, "I know, me, too." The two stayed that way until they heard pounding footsteps coming up the stairs. Quietly, Ginny left the room to meet Hermione in the girls' room (Ginny had only slept in Harry's room the night before so as not to wake Hermione up), though Harry wished that Ginny could have stayed. He had felt at peace with her lying beside him, not arguing, not being sarcastic, but just trying to help. Instead, Harry tossed and turned the rest of the night, feeling the sharp pain somewhere in the depths of his heart. Never had Harry felt so alone and detached from his friends and family than he did now.

* * *


	19. Letting Go and Holding On

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 19: Letting Go and Holding On**

**A/N: **My sincere apologies for the wait! I had this all written in my notebook, but it just took me forever totype itinto my computer. Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad I still have people reading during this tough time. I know school is becoming more hectic than usual, but I'm glad a few people have stuck in there! The next chapter will be long, but it will also be a while before it will post (again, my sincere apologies!). I just don't have enough time in the day to finish homework, work, and finish all these side things I'm doing. Good thing is: we will get back to the point of the story! Yay! Ever wondered what happened to Neville? Stay tuned.Again, thanks for the reviews and I hope you will review again! I appreciate all comments of all types! You have been my lifelines on this story! Now on for much more interesting material: the actualy story instead of my blabbing.

* * *

"Harry?" 

"Harry!"

"Harry Potter, open this door!" Hermione firmly commanded.

"Merlin's beard, Hermione, you're not his mother!" Ginny retorted, pulling out her wand. "Harry, if you don't let us in, we'll use magic!" However, the only response Ron, Ginny, and Hermione got was silence. Ever since Ron and Hermione's announcement, Harry had been keeping himself locked in his room and only Ginny really understood why.

"You're being so stupid, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, very close to tears. "We're sorry we didn't tell you, Ok? What more do you want?"

Again, the three waited to hear Harry's response, but it was still the same as before: silence. "Maybe he's not in there?" Ron suggested.

"No, he's in there," Ginny answered confidently. "He just won't come out."

"Ah!" Hermione cried in frustration. "You're worse than Ron!" Hermione turned and ran down the stairs, her hands covering her face.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Ron called, turning and running after her. This left Ginny to stand in the hallway, staring at Harry's door.

"Harry?" she tried again. "It's me, Ginny. No one else is out here. You can open the door now."

For a moment, Ginny thought that Harry really _wasn't _in there, but then she heard rustling of sheets and a voice very close to the door, "What do you want?"

"Let me in," Ginny requested. "Please?"

"Why?"

"Because you need me," Ginny answered simply. To her surprise, the door cracked open and a green eye peered out at Ginny cautiously. When he was satisfied that Ginny was the only person present, he admitted her inside.

Ginny took a long look at Harry before she said anything. His hair was as messy as usual, but his eyes were dark, his skin was pale, and his robes were a bit tattered. Either Harry hadn't slept a wink since Christmas or he had been out drinking the previous night.

Harry ran a nervous hand through his hair as Ginny surveyed him and then offered Ginny a seat in the armchair across the room. Ginny sat down while Harry sat on the edge of the messy, un-made bed and stared at Ginny. After a moment, Ginny spit out what was really on her mind: "You look awful, Harry."

"Thanks for the compliment," Harry answered dryly. "I'll make sure to add it to my resume when I apply for a new job. 'Great skills, excellent knowledge of useless information, and looks awful.' Yeah, I'll get hired."

Ginny looked surprised. "You lost your job?"

Harry stared at the floor and nodded. "It's not the teaching job: it's my Auror position. Tonks thinks I should take time off. Well, it was more like, 'you have become very, dangerously stressed and perhaps the strain of an Auror isn't for you.' Doesn't really sound like Tonks, does it? It sounds more like Kingsley if you ask me."

"But Kingsley loves you, Harry!" Ginny protested. "He wouldn't do that!"

Harry didn't respond, but just continued to stare at the floor. "I feel like my whole life is tearing apart in front of my eyes. The next thing you'll see is a big, smiling picture of me on the front page of the Daily Prophet: _The Chosen One Has Been Chosen to Leave the Ministry_."

Ginny giggled. "They would!" but stopped quickly at Harry's dark look.

"I just feel like quitting life," Harry added gruffly, ignoring Ginny's comment. "Maybe I should have died after I defeated Voldemort. I've escaped death so many times, I'm beginning to wonder whether my life has already ended and I'm just too stupid to realize it."

"Then you would become what Professor Binns is: a ghost and you're not, Harry. You're just as alive as I am," Ginny stated, as if trying to convince her mind, too, that Harry really wasn't a ghost. After all, he did look astonishingly white…

Harry jumped up and began to pace the room. "That's only it, Gin! I'm alive, but I've let my best friends go and now they keep secrets from me. Next thing you know, I'll just have disappeared off the face of the earth! One day, you will all get up and wonder, 'what happened to that Harry Potter boy?' But no one will know!"

"Is that all you care about, Harry?" Ginny asked quietly.

"No," Harry answered sharply, but then relaxed and kneeled in front of Ginny. "I don't care who knows that I'm alive as long as I have my friends and the people I care about around me. Right now, I don't even have my friends anymore."

"But you have me," Ginny protested. "You have me, Hannah, and Luna. We're your friends, Harry, and no matter what, we'll be there for you."

Harry smiled at her thoughtfulness. "Promise?"

"I don't know: is a promise really worth anything to the Great Harry Potter?" Ginny teased. Harry burst out laughing, then grabbed a pillow and threw it at her face. "Potter!" Ginny screamed, holding up the pillow threateningly. "Never mind about promises: I'll make _sure_ you don't live long enough to have any friends!"

Harry grabbed the pillow out of her hands and held her in his arms. "Is that a promise, too?"

* * *

"Hogwarts! Hogwarts! Hoggy-Hoggy-Hoggy-Warty-Warty-Warty!" 

"Peeves!" Professor McGonagall shouted at the poltergeist in the Entrance Hall. "Out!" Peeves stuck his tongue out and threw something brown at McGonagall before fleeing from the scene. When Harry and Ginny turned to look at the Headmistress, McGonagall had pudding covering her face and it was all the staff could do to not break into laughter.

In a moment, the pudding was cleared and McGonagall and recomposed herself. "Welcome back!" she greeted the group warmly. "Hopefully you all had a wonderful Christmas!" A few people cried out happily and some others clapped, but the exclamation died down fast. "Now, I have an outline of the second half of the term and what should be accomplished at this time so that our students will be updated. If you don't already know, the ministry is hoping to begin O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.'s next year." A few people groaned at the thought of more work, but it was to be expected: students _were_ definitely behind.

"The students will be arriving tonight and I have set the new schedule for patrolling the castle. I had it sent to your office so I expect that it will be read before the end of the night. I will see you all at dinner tonight," McGonagall ended the meeting and everyone walked out, going their separate ways, and most making their way up to their offices. "Harry, can I talk to you for a moment?" McGonagall caught Harry before he could leave the Entrance Hall. When everyone had left, Harry looked up at the Headmistress, almost knowing what was coming.

"I got a letter from the Ministry," said McGonagall. "You don't have to be here. The Ministry can send a replacement and you can pursue other careers if you desire to."

"No, I want to stay," Harry answered, shoving his hands nervously into the pockets of his robes. "I will finish out the year like I was assigned to."

McGonagall almost smiled, but firmly kept her mouth in a straight line. "Very well, Potter," she said. "We will talk about this later." Harry watched her turn around and head for the kitchens before he began climbing the six flights of stairs up to his. As Harry lay on his bed, he felt the load he had been carrying fall from his chest. No more reports, no more hunting, no more assignments and _he_ decided to stay at Hogwarts: he was finally free.

* * *

"Where do you think Neville is, Harry?" Ginny brought up the next morning at breakfast. "Have you heard from him at all?" 

"No, not yet," Harry answered grimly, taking a quick bite of toast.

Ginny's face turned pale. "Do you think we should do something? Tell someone? Neville was our friend, Harry! We can't just let him…you know…_die_," Ginny whispered.

Harry looked in Ginny's brown eyes. "He'll be Ok, Gin," Harry promised. "He made it alive through the war, right? We just need to give him more time."

Ginny searched Harry's green eyes, but after not finding what she was looking for, turned back to the Daily Prophet in front of her. Harry turned back to his food, glad that Ginny couldn't read his mind at that moment. In fact, Harry had been constantly thinking of what became of Neville since their meeting in early November. Should someone go looking for him? But everyone had believed that Neville had disappeared! To go looking for him now, 3 years after he had been declared dead in battle was preposterous! To even think of something like that would be enough to send a person to St. Mungos!

Yet still, Harry worried. Even while teaching his classes that week, assigning more homework than ever to keep his students from getting behind, and keeping up with his staff duties, Harry still had Neville in the back of his mind. He couldn't stop worrying about his friend: Neville was at least one friend he needed to hold on to.

* * *

Forgot about Neville? To be Continued... 


	20. What Happened?

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 20: What Happened?**

**A/N: **My apologies to GiGiFic who hated the last two chapters. I just don't believe that people can be strong and happy all the time, so I stand by my chapters. Everyone has a breakdown once in a while; it's a part of humanity. Anyways, this chapter is first of a few that will lead to the end of this story. Ok, I lied about it being long, but that's because I have to go to work soon. However, you can be glad that I updated sooner than three weeks! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this! Don't feel bad if you are confused. Everything will reveal itself soon.

* * *

January came and went like a freezer on full blast. As the icy winds of January died away into the icy winds of February, any love for winter that students had disappeared very quickly. Even the classrooms seemed much darker and chillier than usual and both students and teachers were excited about a weather change. Only, that didn't happen.

"Why is it so cold?" Ginny shivered, pulling her cloak around her and looking around Harry's large classroom. The two were bundled up in their cloaks and sitting in front of the fireplace to keep warm. "It must be below 30 degrees in here! The castle has never been like this before!"

"I don't know," Harry wondered for the first time, glancing at Ginny. "Aren't house elves supposed to keep the maintenance on the castle?"

"Yeah," Ginny answered. "Maybe Dobby finally convinced them all to go on strike. I can just imagine it now: the house-elves all standing in front of the castle wearing socks, holding detailed banners, and saying in high, squeaky voices 'We want to be paid!' Do you think the impossible finally happened?"

A piercing scream echoed across the castle accompanied with loud bangs before Ginny finished her sentence and both Harry and Ginny jumped up and ran out of the classroom. Down three staircases, and four corridors, Harry and Ginny met up with Luna who was as pale as the snow outside.

"What happened?" Harry demanded, searching Luna's expression for an answer.

"It's the Ministry," Luna gasped, "and _them_. They're here."

"Where?" Ginny questioned hastily.

Luna only pointed towards the direction of the Entrance Hall and Harry and Ginny bolted off with Luna trailing behind them. When they finally reached the bottom of the last staircase, Harry saw Ministry officials scattered across the Hall and jets of light bouncing off the walls. Groups of students were racing in every direction, all trying to get out of the confusion, some getting knocked out onto the ground.

Harry instinctively pulled out his wand and shot a gold beam of light that collided with another green light. The two lights exploded upon impact and heads turned towards the bottom of the staircase where Harry and Ginny stood before them.

"Harry!" Hannah exclaimed, making her way towards him. Before she took five steps, she was hit by a spell that knocked her unconscious on the ground.

Another ministry official that Harry didn't recognize passed him, and yelled, "Stay out of the way, Potter! We have everything covered!"

However, Harry never took direct orders seriously and went head-first into the battle before him. Harry stopped in the middle of the chaos and realized something: he did not know who the Ministry was fighting. It almost seemed like the Ministry was fighting some invisible force that Harry didn't understand. Harry spotted Ernie Macmillan in the middle of the chaos shooting rapid spells and made his way over to him.

"What's going on?" Harry questioned.

Ernie almost smiled at the sight of him. "Harry!" he exclaimed. "We got a lead! Just like you said, Harry!"

"What did I say?" Harry asked confused, ducking a spell aimed for his head.

"You were right! The Lestranges _were _in London _and_ they had a reason for not setting off our sensors, Harry!" Ernie cried. "Harry, they're-" But a spell from behind Ernie caught him off guard and sent him across the room.

A high pitch laugh rang across the room: one that Harry recognized very well. "Silly boy! Do you really think that you can outsmart me? I am greater and better than my master! You will see, Harry Potter!" The room exploded in fire and without thinking or hesitating, Harry cast a Flame Freezing Charm with all his strength. However, Harry's charm wasn't enough to protect other Ministry wizards. People were falling to the ground, crying out in pain from the burns.

Harry felt himself hit the ground from the force of the curse. For an instant, his body froze and his mind was blank. She was going to kill him; she was going to kill them all. She was going to finish the last person standing in her way from success.

"_Bandire!_"

The voice rang out strong and threatening and in only a few minutes, the room was instantly silenced. Harry looked around him and saw a tall figure at the front doors. The figure was blinded by the light coming from the sun. Wait a minute…how could the sun be out? The figure turned around and left, and impulsively, Harry followed him. However, by the time Harry was close to reaching the person, they had disapparated at the end of the grounds.

"Harry!" Harry turned around to see Ginny running towards him. "What's going on? Who was that?"

Harry ignored Ginny's questions as he looked at her face. Her left eye was swollen from a black burn and the side of her right cheek bled from a huge gash. "Ginny!" Harry gasped. "You've been burned!"

Ginny looked at him confused. "How could I not have been burned? It came out of nowhere! I'm alright, Harry, really," she excused, looking back at him. "What's going on? Did you hear the voice? Do you know who it was? What's going on?"

Harry shook his head, at lost for answers as he was for words. "I don't know, Gin, but I'm going to find out."

* * *

"Harry! Ginny! Are you alright?" Hermione burst into the Hospital Wing only hours after the strange attack. "Oh Merlin, what happened to your face?" She pointed at Ginny, who was sitting on a bed next to Harry.

Ginny's face was covered in blue goo, but it still didn't cover up all her burns or the huge gash on her cheek. "What does it look like?" Ginny snapped, irritated partly from the sizzling feeling on her face.

"How did you get burned?" Hermione looked from Ginny to Harry, waiting for an answer, but both shook their heads.

"It was a curse," Harry spoke up quietly, the first words he had spoken to her since Christmas. "I was right. There was something going on and everyone thought that I was just wasting my time! _He _was right, Hermione! Neville was right!" The last words were whispered, but Hermione still stood shocked to the ground.

"I still don't understand what's going on," she commented.

Ginny glanced at Harry. "I don't understand it, either."

Harry caught the glance, but shook his head. "I don't know half of it myself: they were invisible somehow, like ghosts. Then someone got rid of them."

"What?" Hermione gaped. "How can someone just get rid of invisible forces? Didn't you learn anything from-"

"_Hogwarts, A History_?" Harry interrupted irritably. "Did you forget that Hogwarts was _destroyed_? This castle is only a shadow of what the _real _Hogwarts was?"

"I wasn't going to say that, Harry," Hermione backed down. "I was going to say, didn't you learn anything from Charms class? You can't just 'get rid' of someone! They have to reappear somewhere!"

Harry stood up in front of Hermione. "I know that. What I don't know is how they did that. First thing we have to do now, is find that person who cast that spell, and I have a good idea where they are."

"Where are you going, Harry?" Hermione demanded, watching Harry stride towards the door.

"I need to go now," Harry looked back. "If I don't, I might miss him and we _need_ to find him!"

"And what are you going to do, Harry?" Ginny stood up, some of the blue goo falling onto her robes. "Go without me?"

Harry grinned and came back towards her. "Of course not," he said, using his wand to get rid of some of the blue goo on her face.

"Thanks," she smiled, following Harry out of the room with Hermione at her side. "I want to look my best for Neville."

* * *


	21. Tall and Long Tales

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 21: Tall and Long Tales**

**A/N: **Ok, this is definitely my longest chapter by far and I did it for you! I hope this explains a lot. If my writing seems to go down the drain by the end, it's because I'm utterly exhausted. I had to really think and think and think. I hope you all enjoy it! I'm now going to crash going to bed (if you wonder why Neville is so tired, it's because I am, too!)

* * *

"You really shouldn't be out in this weather in your condition, Gin," Hermione advised to her friend, while both girls were following Harry across the school grounds. "Your cut might be healed, but at this temperature, it's capable of catching-" 

"Thanks for the information, Hermione," Ginny interrupted sharply. "Personally, I don't care what I'm subjected to. I have been subjected to so many things, that even Professor Trelawney couldn't have predicted my escape."

"I was only saying," said Hermione in a hurt tone, turning her attention away from Ginny's wounds and onto Harry's back in front of her. "Now, for the last time Harry: are you going to tell me what's going on? First, I'm sitting in the lounge at St. Mungos, and the next minute, I get an urgent message from Ron saying that Hogwarts was attacked. No warning, no threat, no forewarning! And on top of that, you were fired from the Ministry!"

Harry cast a dark look over his shoulder that instantly silenced her. "We're going to find Neville," Harry said quietly. "Even if I don't work for the Ministry, I can still work for a friend."

"What about the school, Harry?" Hermione questioned. "What about your job? What's going to happen?"

"The school has been temporarily closed," Harry announced, leading the two girls past the front gates and into the town of Hogsmeade where he paused in front of the train station. "McGonagall told me in the hospital wing. All the students have been immediately sent home until 'due time when the school is safe to open again.'"

"But what about what happened? Why did it happen? How did it happen?" Hermione persisted. "How did the Ministry know? How can people just be _invisible_ without using cloaks?"

"Hermione!" Harry yelled in frustration. "I don't know! _That's _why we're going to find Neville! So we can figure this out!"

Hermione looked impatiently at Harry. "Ok, fine. Where is Neville?"

"Take my hand," Harry commanded, holding a palm out for each girl.

"What? Why?" Hermione asked, startled by the unusual request.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hermione, be quiet and do what he says."

Hermione sighed, taking Harry's hand and in that minute, the three had disappeared from the grounds. The next thing they knew, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were standing in the living room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"What?" The two girls gasped. "What are we doing _here?_" Ginny stood shocked.

Harry smiled, pulling out his wand. "This old house might creak, but I have a feeling it has been more than loose boards." Harry led the way up the three flights of stairs and to the door of the attic. With a hand on the door knob, Harry signaled the other two to remain silent. In a split second, Harry kicked open the door and shouted. _"STUPIFY!"_

THUD!

"Good job, Harry!" Ginny congratulated. "You have successfully caught a portrait! Poor man! That must have been quite a fall. Wait…Sirius?" The three crowded around the portrait lying on the ground and there was Sirius, frozen in the frame.

"Sirius?" Harry asked surprised. "What are you doing up here? I thought your portrait was in your mother's old room. Oh, sorry, I forgot: _ennervate._"

Sirius blinked in his portrait and looked up at the three. "Harry!" he beamed. "It's good to see you once again! I have been…er…quite busy. You know, looking after your things and all."

"Where is he, Sirius?" Harry questioned.

"Where is who?" Sirius replied with another question, looking a bit clueless.

"You know who I'm talking about! He's been here this entire time!" Harry shouted angrily, almost forgetting that he was talking to a portrait after all.

"You can stop yelling, Harry," a voice came from the corner of the attic and Neville appeared from the shadows. "I'm here and you're right, I've been here the entire time."

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny gaped at Neville's pale face. There standing before them was the a bit older version of the friend they believed to have died three years before. Although he looked quite the same, there was a different air about him: his face had a grave look and his voice was strong and confident.

"I'm not dead," he announced to their astonished looks.

"What are you doing here, Neville?" Ginny asked uncertainly, wondering if Neville was instead a figment of her imagination.

"I'm looking after Harry," he answered brightly, but his expression quickly turned into one of concern. "You don't know what you're up against, Harry! There's more to this that neither you nor I can fully understand. I had to come here. You had told me once in our seventh year how protected this place was. I knew you wouldn't mind my using it as a refuge."

Harry smiled and put a hand on Neville's shoulder. "I'm just glad it served that purpose! What I want to know is what is going on. Did you break into their meetings? How did you know to come to Hogwarts today in time to save us?"

Neville smiled wanly back at Harry. "Lucky, I guess. Well, now that you figured it out, do you mind if we take this downstairs- hopefully, the kitchen? I have been starving these last couple months!"

"There was no need to," Harry muttered. "I wouldn't have noticed if food was gone. I really don't cook at all, actually, thanks to Dobby and Mrs. Weasley…oh, and you, too, Gin." Harry laughed at Ginny's glare.

* * *

An hour later, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville sat at the kitchen table, with three empty plates surrounding the latter of the four. Despite the burning questions in their minds, no one dared to question Neville until he was done eating and finally, they felt like they actually reached that point. 

"Alright, Neville," Harry began, looking his friend in the eye, "tell me what happened from beginning to end and don't leave out anything!"

"Where do I start?" Neville asked.

"Where you disappeared," Ginny broke in. "We thought you had died! Where did you go?"

Neville looked up at the ceiling as if searching for a painful memory. Once he had gotten it, he closed his eyes and didn't look up again for a few minutes. "I don't remember what happened," Neville finally proclaimed. "I don't remember much of the battle. I remember seeing Harry and Ron and going with them somewhere. I think you were out cold, Hermione, and Ginny had agreed to stay behind with you." Neville paused again.

"I think I was out cold for a while, too," Neville finally admitted. "I remember waking up and looking around. It was dark and everyone was gone except the people who were lying on the ground dead or unconscious. Then, _she _came. She was standing so close to me that I could touch her. I remember her telling someone else that I was bound to die. It didn't take much to convince her that I was dead, either. I was so numb that I couldn't have moved a muscle if I tried, let alone breath. For a few moments, I really thought I was dead. Everything just seemed to stop.

"She made the mistake of stepping on me when she apparated, and side-apparated me to wherever she was going," Neville continued. "I don't think she realized her mistake because she never did anything about it. I was left hidden in a grassy area while she spilled out loads of information to whomever she was talking to. I thought she was talking to…You-Know-Who, but now that I think about it, he must have been gone by then."

"What did you overhear?" Hermione asked eagerly, almost getting out of her seat.

"Loads!" Neville boasted. "More than what I can tell you. Bella thought obviously thought that she was You-Know-Who's closest supporter. She had devised this plan to kill Harry in hopes that if Harry dies, You-Know-Who will magically come back to life."

"But it doesn't work that way!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "I killed Voldemort and no one that _he_ killed came back."

Neville nodded his head in agreement. "I know, but she thinks she has found some sort of magic that can bring back the dead or something like that. It's really complicated to understand and I don't understand it, either. What I did find out at the time was that she was going to hide out at the Malfoy's Estate in London since her dear sister and family were dead.

"So that's how I found out about her whereabouts. My only problem was I had almost no life left. The strength that it was taking to keep me alive was dwindling down until I thought I was taking my last breath. Then, someone picked me up and I went unconscious. The next thing I know, I'm lying in a Muggle Hospital in Southern Italy.

"I remember one of the doctors telling me what a difficult case I was. He claimed that no matter how hard he tried, my body just seemed to want to kill me," Neville laughed. "It must have been the result of all the complex jinxes, but I don't remember what hit me. He said I was lucky to be alive, and after a few weeks, the jinxes wore off and I was able to go home.

"My only problem," Neville declared, "was what would happen if Bella found out that I knew what she said. At first, I was dead scared. I didn't want to go back home to be killed. So, I hid out in Rome for a couple of years, working for a bakery. It was one of the best jobs I have ever taken up and I still miss it, especially when I'm stuck in an attic," Neville added dreamily.

Harry cleared his throat to wake Neville out of his daydream. "So, why _did_ you come back, Neville?"

"Oh, right," Neville blinked. "It was the article in the Daily Prophet. I found it on the ground one day outside of the shop. I think it was dropped by accident, but it had a big article about you, Harry. I was really glad to hear that you were still alive, not having seen you for a few years, but you also joined the Ministry as an Auror just like you always wanted! What disturbed me was that you were being assigned to teach at Hogwarts. I knew that after the castle had been destroyed, that many of the enchantments were broken and Hogwarts isn't as safe as it once was. It's almost like someone had _planned _for you to be there. If Bella had any opportunity to attack you, it wasn't going to be at the Ministry or your home: it was going to be somewhere where magic wasn't protecting you.

"That's when I decided that I needed to step in," Neville announced, banging his fist onto the table. "I knew she was getting closer to her goal and Harry didn't kill You-Know-Who just so he could be killed by one of his supporters!"

Harry sat in shocked silence. Although he had always known that someone would be out there looking for him after Voldemort was gone, it sounded different coming from a person who knew that it was going to happen.

"So, you have been living at Number 12 since you came back?" Hermione questioned.

Neville shrugged his shoulders. "No, I was actually living in some Muggles' attic. They thought I was a ghost or something; I scared the daylights out of them whenever I moved. I'm still a bit clumsy. They ended up moving to another neighborhood where I don't think the ghost will get them. But the house I was in was really close to the Malfoys and I wanted to monitor what was going on. That's when I got in touch with you, Harry.

"I told you a little bit about what was going on. I didn't connect the pieces quite yet, but I knew something was going to happen. When I did sneak into their meeting, I only learned what I suspected: that they were going to attack you at Hogwarts, Harry. I think that Bella worried most about you leaving your post there. Somehow, she arranged your dismissal from the Ministry so that you would stay at the school. I really don't think that the Auror Office would really get rid of one of their best Aurors for no reason," Neville praised Harry who looked glum.

"It sure looked like it," Harry commented.

"But how did you know about the battle today?" Ginny asked, quickly changing the subject before Harry could get into a negative mood.

Neville yawned. "Bella practically announced it and I just had to follow her. Of course, I didn't completely go unnoticed at the meeting; I was found out in the end. I would have gotten away with it if some other people weren't as clumsy as I am and stepped on my cloak. They thought I was a new recruit, but now they know who I really am. Bella was angry that I was alive, but knew I couldn't do anything because everyone believed I was dead. I disapparated quick enough for them not to catch me and ran for it. That's when I came to Grimmauld Place. I knew neither Bella nor _her_ supporters could get me here and all I had to do was wait. It was pretty easy, now that I think about it."

"Why was she invisible? Why were they all invisible?" Harry asked eagerly. "How did you get rid of them?"

"That is a mystery!" Neville laughed. "I don't know why they are invisible. Like I said, Bella has gotten herself involved in some complex magic. I did pick up a few spells while I was in Italy, though! 'Bandire' is an Italian word, 'to banish.' At first, I was just using it to clean up the kitchens. I know people always use 'scourgify,' but it is so easy just to make things completely disappear! But Italian magic is very different from English. There is just some powerful stuff in it and I was amazed when I accidentally made a car and a vespa both disappear with one shot. I knew I could get rid of Bella with this magic because it was the last thing she expected. She might have been invisible, but that didn't mean that she wasn't real!"

Neville sank back into his chair and yawned again. "I think I've said enough."

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny laughed nervously. It was good to have their friend back, but the news he brought still didn't compensate for it. It seemed almost too soon that something would be threatening their lives once again.

"What are we going to do now?" Ginny asked, looking into Harry's eyes.

Harry shrugged. "What else are we going to do? The school is closed, I'm being hunted down like a rare deer, and my predators have magic I don't even understand. What else _can_ we do but meet them head on?"

"Harry!" Hermione gasped.

"We did it once, Hermione," Harry answered her, "and we can do it again. I'm tired of being hunted. We need to put a stop to this now. Do you agree, Neville?"

Neville opened his drooping eyes and nodded before falling face-down onto the table. "Well, that settles it for Neville!" Ginny laughed. "Alright, what's our first move?"

"We're going back to Hogwarts," Harry announced gravely, standing up. "Hermione, I need you to get as many people as you can that we knew from school. Try to get anyone who is still alive from the DA. Ginny, you need to alert members of your family. I'm sure your brothers will be willing to help." Ginny nodded solemnly.

"What about you, Harry?" said Hermione. "What are you going to do?"

Harry smiled wanly. "What can I do but watch Neville? Don't worry, I have plenty to do. I might visit the Ministry, but I promise I won't do anything dangerous without you guys and Ron. I'll let you all know when to come back. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Hermione and Ginny said together, jumping out of their seats and throwing floo powder into the fireplace.

"Agreed?" Neville said groggily, once the girls had disappeared. "What am I agreeing to?"

"How about a nice bed and warm blankets?" Harry suggested.

"Yeah, that will do," Neville approved, following Harry up to one of the guest rooms and falling unconscious onto the bed.

Harry stood in the room only long enough to watch Neville fall asleep and then walked back into the living room. He looked around the room for a few minutes before grabbing some floo powder. With a face screwed up in anxiousness, he threw the powder into the fireplace and cried, "Hogwarts!"

* * *


	22. ABRA KEDABRA

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 22: ABRA KEDABRA!**

**A/N:** Sorry, this chapter is really short, but another one will be _**coming soon**_. Battle scenes are so much fun to write that I thought I might divide up the chapters. Actually, it takes so much time to think and write about the motions that occur that I want to get it right, so please bear with me. The story is slowly coming to an end (is the author trying to purposely drag it out?) and hopefully, we'll see some more Harry/Ginny interaction before long… Ok, I'm not really speculating. There will be more, I promise. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Surrounded by the roar of the blazing fire, Harry stepped out into his dark and quiet office, searching the room for a possible ambush. When he convinced himself that there was no one else other than him and Hedwig, he let out a sigh relief and handed the owl a treat. Hedwig swallowed it gratefully and offered her left leg to Harry where a letter was attached to it. Harry untied the letter and eagerly read the neat handwriting:

_Harry,_

_I'm sorry about the letter that was sent to you terminating your position at the office. That wasn't sent by me, but someone else inside the ministry. I need you to come to the ministry immediately. Four aurors died this afternoon and we need all the help we can get- especially yours._

_Yours truly,_

_Tonks_

Harry stared at the letter for what felt like an hour before he crushed it in his hands and threw it on his desk. He didn't want to hear any apologies and after what had happened earlier, it didn't seem like the Ministry was the place to turn to. Instead, Harry bolted out of the room and down to the Entrance Hall where the combat had taken place. Standing in the midst of darkness was Professor McGonagall looking thoughtfully around the room.

"Harry!" she looked up in mild surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought I had already sent the students and staff home…"

"Professor, I need to tell you something," Harry interrupted hastily, glancing around the room expectantly.

"Why am I not surprised?" McGonagall sighed, fixing her glasses. "What is it this time, Potter?"

"Neville is alive," Harry announced.

McGonagall looked sharply at Harry. "How do you know?"

"He's at Grimmauld Place at the moment-"

"No, I'm not, Harry," Neville corrected, standing at the top of the stairway. "I thought you were up to something and decided to follow," he answered Harry's quizzical look. "If you're trying to defeat her by yourself, then you're fighting a losing battle, Harry. You're going to need friends."

"This isn't your battle, Neville!" Harry protested. "She's not after you. I'm not going to let another one of my friends die!"

"You don't have a choice, Harry," Ginny answered, appearing right next to him and putting her hand on his shoulder. "We're going to fight with you no matter whose battle it is. We're your friends and we won't see _you_ die."

Hermione nodded along with the small army she and Ginny had managed to gather in the last hour. Harry gaped at the party that surrounded him and if he hadn't been so shocked, he would have laughed at his sudden relief. Along with the Weasley clan, there was Ernie, Hannah, Luna, Romilda, Lupin, Cho Chang (looking rather sheepish), Colin and Dennis Creevey, the Gryffindor Quidditch team, some people he knew from the Ministry, and others he had recognized from Hogwarts. The group made up about fifty people and filled only an eighth of the room, but to Harry, this was a luxury that he didn't deserve.

"You all are here…to help me?" Harry asked awkwardly.

"No, Harry!" Demelza replied sarcastically. "We just came to give our respects. What else do you think we are going to do here?" Katie and Angelina smiled and nodded in agreement.

Oliver Wood stood on the other side of Ginny and pointed his wand at Harry. "We're with you, mate. We won't let you die alone."

"Very…Good…" a voice echoed in the hall.

Harry looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was no one around them. "Stop being a coward! Show yourself!" Harry yelled, holding out his wand.

"Oh, Potter brought his friends for us to play with. That was truly noble of you, Potter, since you are about to die…"

"You are a coward, Bellatrix! Even Voldemort wouldn't hide from his enemies!" Harry cried again. A blast of red light out of nowhere hit him in the chest and sent him crashing into a wall on the other side of the room.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, running over to him, followed by Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. "Harry! Speak to me: are you all right?"

"Just a bad bump, 'Mione," Harry grumbled, trying to stand up.

"Oh, didn't like that, Potter? Are we being too rough? Maybe we should step it up a notch…_Crucio!_"

Harry closed his eyes, waiting for the curse to hit him and fill his body with horrible pain. However, the voice that shrieked with pain wasn't his. Ginny was lying on the floor in front of Harry, taking the curse for him. Her body twitched and tears were running down her face.

"ABRA KEDABRA!"

CRASH! BOOM! THUD!

Ginny stopped moving and remained unconscious on the floor and around her were about twenty people where black robes and black masks. The one in the center with her wand raised, Harry knew to be Bellatrix Lestrange.

Neville stood on the other side of the sea of black cloaks, still holding out his hand, and almost amazed that this spell had worked. After receiving the shocked looks from everyone in the room, he shrugged embarrassingly and said, "Haven't you ever used that spell?"

Bellatrix and her supporters didn't look amazed about it, but quite angry as can be expected. The spell bound them and kept them from changing back to their dangerous, invisible selves. "You think you're something, Longbottom," Bellatrix sneered. "You think you can live up to your parents, maybe get revenge. You think wrong. You're just going to go down like Potter-"

"_Stupify!"_ another voice cried out behind Neville.

The spell hit Bellatrix in the stomach and she collapsed on the floor. When another black figure had revived her, she pointed and screamed, "Get them! Kill them!"

And so the battle began…

* * *


	23. Face Off

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 23: Face-Off**

**A/N: **I am so sorry about not updating sooner! I got a horrible cold and every time I tried to write, I had a huge headache and I ended up sleeping for two hours or more. But, I finally finished this chapter and I presume that there will be one or two more before this story is at an end ) Hurrah! I love endings to a story. Usually they're happy ) Well, thank you to the few people who reviewed for my last chapter! I'm glad you all enjoyed my excuse for a cliffhanger. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Thanks Ya'll!

* * *

Leaving Ginny to be tended by her mother, Harry and Hermione went headfirst into the fight. Spells, hexes, curses, all beams of light exploded around them, aimed poorly to hit anybody. A curse hit Hermione in the back of the head and she fell unconsciously to the ground. Another spell barely missed Harry's head. 

"Harry!" Neville called to him when he saw the black-haired boy in the middle of the chaos. "We've got to do something. The spells are bouncing off the walls and hitting us! We're falling down like the snow!"

"Here, follow me!" Harry pulled at Neville and ran towards the doors and outside onto the grounds. For a minute, the gounds were silent except for the two men panting.

"What are we doing? The fight's in there!" Neville exclaimed.

"I know," Harry answered, "but she wants me, not them. They'll be coming."

No sooner had Harry said that then a dozen black figures stormed out of the castle. "There he is!" one of them cried.

Several redheads poked their heads out the doors and saw the conspirators now running away from the castle and twenty figures ran after the group of black. Now, everyone was racing towards Harry and Neville.

"Oh, brilliant," Neville muttered, digging into his pockets. "Harry, if we die, you must have this." Neville pulled out a beautiful mirror out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. Harry glanced at the mirror and instantly recognized it as the second to the mirror Sirius had given him. "This is how I've been tracking you, Harry. I know you still have yours."

"You stole Sirius' mirror? How did you know I had one?" Harry cried, shoving it into his pocket.

"I might be slow, but I'm not stupid," Neville answered, holding out his wand in front of him. The black figures were coming faster and faster at the pair. "Can we talk about this later? I think we're in trouble."

Harry stood determinedly on his spot, also raising his wand. "If we have that chance," said Harry gravely. "Ready?"

"If we must," Neville answered. "We're mental, you know that, Harry?"

Harry looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye, and nodded. The black figures were now upon them, shooting spells that Harry and Neville did their best to dodge. Harry shot a spell that blasted the ground around them and turned the area into ice. The first black cloak slipped on the ice and fell on their back, tripping several conspirators around them. Another spell erupted from Neville's wand, surrounding himself and Harry in a circle of fire.

"What good is that going to do?" Harry yelled in frustration, trying to aim at the enemy through the red and orange flames. "I can't see!"

"Neither can they!" Neville answered and pulled Harry through the fire. Miraculously enough neither were burned, and both circled around to find the rest of their fighters on the other side. When Harry glanced back, he could see the shadow of himself and Neville where they were a few seconds before in the middle of the flames.

"How did you-?" Harry began.

"Never mind," Neville answered. "It's ancient Italian magic." Both Neville and Harry were standing at the steps next to the castle, watching the battle below. "What are we going to do now, Harry?"

"Oh, you're asking me?" Harry responded. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened and how he just got there. "What do you think we should do?"

"DIE!" a voice cried behind them.

Harry and Neville jumped out of the way as they heard a zooming sound next to them. A green spell hit a tree on the far side of the grounds and the tree exploded. Harry closed his eyes tight- he should have known this was coming. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Bellatrix Lestrange was standing over them, holding her wand.

"Well, well, well, Potter," she sneered. "Back to begging for your life again. How does it feel to finally be defeated? Not the best anymore, are we?"

Harry jumped up to his feet followed by Neville and the two exchanged looks. It had been almost four years since Harry had faced his godfather's murderer, but this time Harry wasn't a child.

"Of course you're not the best anymore," Harry responded casting a spell that Bella easily blocked.

"Silly little Potter thinks he can beat the Dark Lords more trusted supporter!" Bella blasted a curse that sent fire between Harry and Neville.

Neville got up to his feet and held his wand up. "Merlin's beard, Harry, she still insists on talking to you in third person!" Neville threw a spell that took Bella by surprise and turned her legs into rubber.

"Haven't you gotten it through your thick skull that your precious 'Lord' is dead?" Harry added, taking advantage of the moment to hit Bella with another small curse.

"And have you forgotten what I did to your parents, Longbottom? _Crucio!" _Bella screamed angrily, her eyes and body full of the hatred that she had bottled up since her master's death. Neville yelped in agony and shook violently on the ground.

Harry shot a curse at Bella that destroyed her concentration. "Leave him alone! You're quarrel is with me!" said Harry standing between his enemy and his friend, barely five feet between both.

"My quarrel is with anyone responsible for killing my master!" she shrieked. "_Avada Kedavra!" _

The spell barely missed Harry, but Harry didn't turn around to see where it went. One by one, curses, hexes, anything he could think of to distract Bella came out of his wand. Yet, one by one, Bella blocked them with ease.

"This is getting ridiculous, Potter," Bella laughed. "It's time we stopped playing like little children. Good-bye, Harry Potter!"

The spell came at Harry fast before he could realize what was going on. His body tensed up and exploded with pain. A screaming came from all around him, but whether it was his or not, Harry couldn't determine. He fell to the ground and all went black- black as the sky was getting, black as the cloaks that were racing towards him, black as his hair was compared to the dark ground, and black as his godfather's name. But to Harry, black was peaceful.

* * *

When Ginny Weasley woke up ten hours later, the news that Harry Potter had died had been flowing through the media. When first heard, the redhead couldn't comprehend the information. Harry couldn't have died! He _always_ got through these situations! But many witnesses were there when they saw the 'Chosen One' fall and the compelling evidence was conclusive. 

Twelve people had died fighting with Harry. The first and most important was Bellatrix Lestrange. No one could explain why she fell down after she hit Harry with the Killing Curse, but when her supporters had gathered around her, there was no mistaking her lifeless look and all of them had ran for their lives. Seven of the conspirators had died next to their leader and the last four deaths were from Harry's team.

A private funeral was scheduled for the following Wednesday at dawn, seven days after Harry's death. Ron, Hermione, and later on, Ginny, all agreed that Harry would be buried next to his parents in Godric's Hollow. It was very suiting for Harry to have died like his parents for the same cause and with the same courage as Godric Gryffindor.

The night before the funeral, the two redheads and brunette sat up in the living room at the Burrow. The rest of the family were out or had gone to bed and had left the three in silence. Neither of them had moved until the clock struck midnight and the three jumped in alarm.

"I can't do this anymore!" Ginny cried tearfully. "What's going to happen to us?"

Tears also filled Hermione's eyes that she couldn't hold back anymore and Ron looked uneasily at his fiancée and sister. "I don't know, Gin," he answered huskily and shaking his head.

A knock on the door sent Ginny flying in the air and Ron walked tentatively to the door. "Who's there?" Ron called.

"It's me! Who else?" the muffled voice answered.

"Who's 'me'?"

"ME!" Neville cried, opening the door and jumping inside. "What kind of friends are you to keep me standing in the snow like that? Haven't you been watching the weather lately?"

The three chuckled at Neville's small bit of humor, but the loss of their best friend was still weighing down their hearts. "You guys are upset about Harry, aren't you?" Neville questioned.

"Aren't you?" Hermione answered seriously.

Neville shook his head and cast a glace at the door that went unnoticed. "Not really. In fact, I think Harry is really annoying. Do you remember when he used to run his hands in his hair with frustration? The stupid git thought he was _so_ cool! And then when he thought he saved me all those times-"

"Neville, how can you talk about Harry like that?" Ginny retorted. "Harry died and all you can do is to insult his name?"

"Yeah, Neville, how can you insult me like that? I'm supposed to be dead, you know!" Harry's voice boomed, pulling off his invisibility cloak to reveal black hair, pale white skin, and emerald green eyes hidden behind his round pair of glasses.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked in excitement, but then her expression fell. "No, you're dead- you're not here. This is only my imagination."

Harry glanced at Neville and shrugged. "Sorry, Neville, I'm just a figment of your imagination. I guess you were mental after all."

The three still sat in silence, staring at the newcomers, but not knowing what was going on. Harry had died in front of fifty witnesses and here he was standing in front of them like his death had never happened.

Ron was the first to stand up and approach his best friend. He held out his hand and barely touched Harry's left shoulder. His finger hit Harry's cloak and his bony shoulders beneath. "Blimey, you are real!" Ron exclaimed in shock. "You're really not dead!"

Hermione and Ginny jumped up and ran to Harry, both embracing him and almost knocking him to the ground. "You're supposed to be dead!" Hermione exclaimed.

"You're supposed to have a funeral tomorrow! This can't be real" Ginny laughed, kissing Harry's cheek.

Harry took the moment to kiss Ginny back and then looked into her brown eyes. "Am I real now?"

Ginny's face glowed with happiness as she embraced his again and both held each other for the longest time.

"What's going on down there?" Mrs. Weasley called downstairs, hearing the commotion. The five friends laughed uncertainly, all thanking their lucky stars for their mutual black-haired friend. In a few moments, they knew they would all be able to sleep soundly that night and whatever questions they had, it could wait until morning. It was just a miracle that the Boy Who Lived Died and Lived Again.

* * *


	24. Shooting Stars Like Diamonds

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 24: Shooting Stars Like Diamonds**

**A/N: **My apologies for not updating as soon as I thought I would! I have been really sick the last few weeks and now have found the energy to continue. There will be one last chapter after this and then we will be done! Hurrah! I hope you enjoy this chapter ) It's what we've all been waiting for, am I right? Well, tell me once you read it through by reviewing! And thank you to all of you who reviewed on my last chapter and those of you who are very faithful readers. You have made this task of writing very enjoyable!

* * *

No one can imagine the response when Harry Potter showed up to his own funeral the next morning. As his empty casket was being lowered in the damp ground below, Harry stood up and declared that he would like to say a few words before they buried him. In cries of shock, delight, and for some, horror, Harry made front page news again as the Boy-Who-Can't-Seem-To-Die. 

Although Harry might be alive, the after party must go on. On this special occasion, Mrs. Weasley made an extra effort in preparing excellent food and the twins brought a few cases of Butterbeer as well as Firewhiskey (met with their mother's sharp, death glare). After many drinks all around and guests began to make their way home, the Weasley family was left in the freezing backyard, sipping more drinks and numbing themselves to the icy wind beating on them.

"You should die more often, Harry!" Fred announced, taking a bite out of a biscuit.

"Yeah, I have never seen Mum cook so much and so well in our lives! Not even for Bill and Fleur's wedding!" George chimed in.

Hermione looked indignant at the two. "Is that all you care about? Food? We should be thankful that Harry is alive!"

"Come on, Hermione," Ron pleaded, taking a sip of Firewhiskey, "did you really think Harry was dead?"

On a bench next to each other, Harry and Ginny snorted in their drinks. "And _you_ didn't, Ron? _'I don't know what I am going to do without Harry!_" Ginny mimicked which was responded with another round of snorts.

Ron's face turned a nice shade of red and he muttered something into his drink before he took another swig.

"Here's one to Harry!" Charlie announced, holding up his glass of Firewhiskey. "To the Boy-Who-No-One-Can-Kill!"

"Here! Here!" Everyone laughed and each took a gulp of their drink. Well, everyone except Harry himself who's face turned only a light pink that could hardly be noticeable to anyone in the dark light.

Once people started going off to bed around midnight, Harry and Ginny were the only two left sitting by the garden. Neither spoke to each other until the door slammed shut behind the last person and all was silent once more.

"Some party, eh?" Ginny broke the silence.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, relaxing more in his chair. "It's great to be back."

Ginny looked intently at Harry as if she were trying to get to a point, but Harry's eyes stayed away from hers and were set on the glass in his hand. "Yeah, it is great that you're back, Harry, but how did you survive…again? I saw your body. You weren't breathing and your heart wasn't beating. We really believed you were dead!" Ginny croaked, close to tears. Even though Harry was alive and sitting before her, the pain of his supposed death still lingered in her heart.

"I thought I did, too," Harry muttered. When he met Ginny's eyes, confusion swirled into their depths and Harry felt compelled to explain. "I did die, Ginny, but it's not as though I escaped death. Someone was watching out for me."

Ginny still appeared confused, and Harry went on. "I saw…my parents. I went to the other side, Ginny. I saw my mum, dad, Sirius, Dumbledore, Cedric, and Snape…unfortunately. But Gin," Harry turned to face her, "they weren't shadows or records of their memories or anything- they were _real. _My mum held me for the first time since I can remember! She hugged me and kissed me." Harry raised his hand and felt the scar on his forehead where his mother had kissed him.

"She told me a lot of things- how much she had loved me and how she was proud of me, her little man," Harry grunted at the last part as if he wanted to laugh, but couldn't. "Then my dad hugged me and…he cried! He never said anything, but it was like I could feel what he was feeling. Almost as if he was in me- as if he was _always _in me!"

"Harry," Ginny slid her hand into his and squeezed it.

"And then Sirius came up to me," Harry continued ignoring Ginny's hand in his own. "Merlin's beard, how I miss him! How I wish he was still here, Gin! He reminded me how much of my dad I was." Harry ran his free hand through his hair. "It gets annoying how many times I hear that, but it somehow meant something coming from Sirius. I did something my dad would have done and I felt like I had finally lived up to my expectations."

Tears were pouring down Ginny's eyes as if she could feel Harry's chest tightening as each memory floated into view. "Dumbledore approached me after Sirius. He didn't embrace me or anything. He told me he liked my shoes," said Harry, still quite mystified. "But he didn't need to say anything. There just was this understanding between us that things were finally okay. Well, okay until Snape appeared."

Harry grimaced as he remembered Snape's face and his ugly smirk. "He told me to stop being so arrogant and go back to the other world where I belong. 'Said I wasn't supposed to be dead and that the people who really loved me were waiting for me on the other side. That's when I woke up miraculously and saw Neville as white as a sheet! I had been dead for three days and he said he wanted to pay his respects before the funeral. I think he was planning to go back to Italy."

Ginny was taken aback. "He wouldn't do that! Neville wouldn't do that!" Ginny protested.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Whether he would have or not, he didn't. He smuggled me out of the morgue and took me back to Grimmauld Place where he and Dobby took care of me. Three days of being dead definitely took its toll: I couldn't stand or walk or eat on my own. I finally regained my strength to walk again yesterday and that's when Neville took me to the Burrow. I'm still can't function properly and I'm horribly exhausted." Harry let out a sigh that must have gone from his head to his toes because Ginny finally saw the veil fall and Harry's face was wan and sickly.

"How did you awake, then, Harry? If you were dead for three days…how did you come back to life?" Ginny persisted.

Harry dug into his pockets and pulled out a silver object- the mirror Sirius had given him. It was in perfect condition except for the black hole in the center. "The spell hit it and backfired. The mirror took the brunt of the curse, but it couldn't save me entirely- that's how I died. But I do have angels up there to guard me," Harry looked up into the sky. Ginny followed his gaze and saw five shooting stars fly across the sky.

"Did you see that, Harry?" Ginny gasped. "Make a wish, Harry!"

"I already got my wish," Harry answered shortly.

"Really," Ginny exhaled a breath of air, still staring at the place the shooting stars had been before they disappeared. "I guess mine did, too, huh?"

In a swift moment, Harry kissed Ginny's upturned face and both wrapped their arms around each other. "I couldn't have lived through this if it hadn't been for you, Gin," Harry told her once they broke apart. "I thought my quest was over when I killed Bellatrix Lestrange, but my parents made me realize that it was only beginning. They didn't just save me so I could die again 20 years later. They saved me so I could pass on the same blessing that was passed onto me- love."

"Haven't you done that already?" Ginny asked, looking deep into Harry's eyes as if they would tell her the answer.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I forgot one of the most important parts of love. I told you I couldn't have survived without you, Gin. I would have nothing more to live for, but now I do. Now, I don't think I _could_ live without you. That's why I'm asking you to marry me, Gin."

Ginny sat shocked on the bench next to Harry and just stared at him, wondering if this was really happening; if this wasn't just another dream. Harry pulled out a box that contained a gold diamond ring with the initials J.P. + L.E. inscribed on the inside. On the other side of the ring was engraved H.P. + G.W. Tears welled up in Ginny's eyes as she realize that this was Harry's mother's ring.

"How did you get it?" Ginny asked, admiring in her fingers. "You told me that your family lost everything!"

Harry smiled as he took the ring and placed in on Ginny's finger- it fit perfectly as if it was made for Ginny just like it was made for Lily Evans. "My mum gave it to me," Harry answered uncertainly. "She told me to give it to the girl I loved."

Ginny didn't ask any questions as her mind was preoccupied with the ring on her finger. "It's perfect, Harry. I can't believe this!" Ginny cried out with joy. "This is like a dream!"

"Maybe some dreams aren't so impossible," Harry commented standing up and pull Ginny up with him. "And some dreams are better found when one is sleeping. I love you, Ginny, more now that I could ever have told you before. However, I don't think I will be able to make it through tomorrow if I don't crash now."

Ginny laughed and grabbed Harry's waist. In a swift moment, Harry was resting in Ginny's arms as carried him up the three flights of stairs to the twin's room where she placed him in Fred's old bed. "Good night, Harry," she kissed the scar on his head before exiting the room.

"G'Night, 'Love," Harry mumbled before he fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps some curses are really blessings after all...

* * *


	25. Doors that Open and Doors that Close

**The Adventure Continued**

**Chapter 25: Doors that Open and Doors that Close**

**A/N: **You must forgive me! I have finals this week (well, three tomorrow) and I have been working under the supervision of four strict professors. Not only that, but my great-grandmother of 91 passed away two weekends ago and I had to take some time off to visit my family and go to the funeral. So, this was put on hold until I could get away and finish it. Well, this wasn't exactly the perfect time, but it is now finished! I'm not sure if I want to make a sequel. There has been some support of it, but it will depend on whether enough people want a sequel for it to be worth writing. If not, then I might just write an epilogue. So, what are your thoughts? Hopefully you will enjoy this last chapter!

* * *

It didn't take too much longer than the following morning for the entire Weasley family to discover Harry and Ginny's engagement. Between eggs, toast, and red faces from all sides of the table, it was truly an exciting event.

"I can't believe you, Harry!" Ron had exclaimed in shock.

"You can't believe it?" Fred mocked Ron.

George looked aghast at Ron as if he had spent his childhood in a closet (who knows?). "About time is more like it!" George exclaimed, chucking a piece of egg at Ron.

"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley snapped, glaring at her two identical sons. "When will you two learn to grow up?"

"Did you hear that, George?"

"Sure did, Fred. She wants us to grow up!"

"Should we think about it?"

"Sure, why not?"

Each twin put a hand to their chins and stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Never!" the twins laughed in unison and snorts were heard around the table.

"Children!" Mrs. Weasley huffed and piled more eggs on Harry and Ron's plate before exiting the room, not even acknowledging Fred and George's empty plates.

"What does she expect- a complete make-over?" Fred commented after Mrs. Weasley had left the room to take of the laundry.

Hermione looked angrily at the twins. "You know, you're twenty-four years old. You could really start acting your age."

"We are," Fred said defensively.

"Besides, since when did mature, adult behavior make loads of galleons?" George asked.

Hermione stood up from her chair and gave the twins a look that said "you're hopeless" before leaving the room. Ron and Ginny followed her before she decided to extend her bad mood onto them leaving Harry alone with Fred and George in the kitchen.

"Well, mate, business calls!" Fred announced.

"But before we go, we'd like to tell you…" George added.

"Good luck!" the twins clapped Harry on the back.

"We've been trying to tame Ginny since she was three- it's impossible," Fred said with an exaggerated sigh.

"We would threaten you if you ever hurt our dear baby sister, but Ginny by herself is a threat alone," George gravely, "and that is no joke. We'll be here anytime you need us; just send us an owl." The twins winked simultaneously at Harry and disappeared with a loud crack that echoed off the walls.

"Are they gone?" Mrs. Weasley poked her head into the room. After her statement was confirmed, she bustled into the room and began clearing away dishes with her wand. "Those two! Always up to something…Oh, Harry, dear! What are your plans today?" Mrs. Weasley said sweetly, turning to Harry.

"Er…" Harry hadn't thought too much on what his plans were. He had hoped that perhaps he could relax around the Burrow with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione and maybe play a Quidditch, but all of a sudden, that became the last thing he wanted to do. "I'm going to the ministry," Harry announced, jumping up out of his seat.

"You are?" Ginny appeared at the bottom of the stares. "I thought…"

"I have some things to take care of," Harry told her. When he saw the confused look on her face, he came over and kissed her on the nose before moving to her lips. "I'll be back for dinner."

"Dinner?" Ginny asked with a hint of disappointment.

Harry sighed, "Trust me, Gin."

"Alright, Harry, but if you-"

Whatever Ginny was about to say, it wouldn't have been heard by her fiancée. Harry was already apparating to the ministry where he appeared in front of the Auror office just as Tonks was leaving with a huge stack of papers in her arms. Unfortunately for both, neither noticed each other until the last moment when the two collided, sending papers all over the floor.

"Potter!" Tonks cried, half in surprise and half in anger.

"I'm sorry!" Harry answered, summoning all the papers into his arms and handing them to Tonks.

Tonks looked down at the disorganized stack in her hands and back at the black haired man before her. "What are you doing here, Harry?" she asked in confusion. "I thought we gave you the week off to recuperate."

"About that…" Harry began, but his voice failed him and his mind went blank. He couldn't find the words he needed and just continued to look intently at Tonks, hoping she could fill in the blanks.

"Do you really want to quit, Harry?" Tonks asked, reading the expression in his eyes. "I thought you really wanted to be an Auror. What changed your mind?"

"I did," Harry replied to the first question, now trying to avoid Tonks' eyes. Why was it so hard to explain this now? Why didn't he wait to do this some other time when Tonks wasn't there to make him feel so guilty?

"I just can't," Harry finally spoke. "I thought catching dark wizards could be my career because I have been involved with them since I can remember. I have found my purpose, though. I'm sorry, Tonks." Harry handed his notice- not a two week notice, not a three day notice- an immediate one.

"We're going to miss you, Harry," Tonks commented sadly as she looked up from the letter. "But I guess this is for the best. Good-bye, Harry. I'm sure we'll see each other again- like tonight for dinner at the Burrow."

Harry smiled awkwardly. "Er…yeah, we will," Harry agreed. "See you later, then?" Tonks nodded and walked past him down the hall and turned left out of sight. Harry took a deep breath and finally felt the blood circulate through his body again. However, his mission wasn't finished yet. He still needed to see one more person…

* * *

Harry stood in the hall in front of the Headmistress' office at Hogwarts. There, standing guard as usual, were the gargoyles that glared at anyone passing by. However, unlike the gargoyles, they weren't responding to the password, "hippogriff talons" and Harry was becoming more and more impatient as minutes went by.

"Licorice Licks? Chinese fireball? Flubberworm stampede?" Harry tried desperately.

"Potter, what are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked in her usual, strict tone, coming down the corridor on Harry's left. Harry immediately backed away from the gargoyles and let McGonagall stand between him and them.

"Er…I wanted to talk to you, Professor," Harry muttered.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "That was quite obvious. Come into my office, Potter. I changed the password to keep the ministry out, which right now, includes you."

"I quit the ministry, Professor," Harry announced once the two had reached her office door and walked in. "I left my notice this morning. I don't want to work as an Auror anymore."

McGonagall looked quizzically at Harry as if he might go crazy at any moment. "Are you sure about that, Harry? I thought that's what you really wanted to do. You have always been good at that- well, with your past there is no doubt to why. Why did you change your mind?"

"I want to stay here and teach at Hogwarts," Harry blurted, finally getting to the one thing he wanted to say all day. "I never realized that I would enjoy teaching so much until the ministry assigned me here- now I don't want to go back. Please, Professor, let me keep my job."

The two stared at each for a few moments- a pair of stern, discerning eyes looking into pleading ones. The silence would have overwhelmed even the most desperate beggar to give up, but Harry was more than determined to keep his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher- to not be dismissed at the end of the year like the ministry had sentenced him.

"You can't be a student again, Potter," McGonagall warned. "Teachers do carry more responsibility than most professions. You have the children of the new generation soaking up your every word. Do you think you can handle it?" The smile on the older woman's face told Harry she had given in.

"Yes, Professor," Harry answered quickly, hardly caring what he agreed to at the moment, but more excited that McGonagall was letting him stay at Hogwarts.

"Good, then there's one more thing I must ask of you, Harry," McGonagall added and Harry's heart almost skipped a beat, "and I will really think that you might be up to it…what do you think?"

"That depends, Professor, on what you're asking."

"Would you fill the position of Deputy Headmaster?" McGonagall offered.

Harry's heart almost stopped beating and his eyes popped out of his head. This was definitely the last thing he expected for McGonagall to ask. "Professor?" Harry questioned in shock. "Why me?"

"You are dedicated to this school, as much as Dumbledore himself was," McGonagall smiled. "I was planning to offer this to you after the year was finished and you would go back the Ministry. Nevertheless, now seems very proper to ask."

"I don't know, Professor…What about Ginny? She is more dedicated than I am to this school," Harry questioned, scratching the back of his head and still not coming up with a good answer.

"I have already discussed this with Ms. Weasley, Potter, and many of the other teachers. They all agree that you would be excellent for the position."

Harry still was unsure of what he would be getting himself into. Could he really one day be the Headmaster of the place he called home more than any other place in the world? Harry smiled broadly and realized that they were right- this was almost a dream come true.

"Yes, Professor."

"Harry? Please call me, 'Minerva.' I might be three times your age, but if you will be my Deputy, you must learn to address me on more familiar terms."

"Yes, Prof- I mean, Minerva."

* * *

The Weasleys had gathered around the table for dinner at six just as they did every night when the children were younger. Every Weasley family member was there along with Lupin and Tonks, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and a few other guests. Well everyone was there except for Harry.

Dinner had passed into dessert and still Harry hadn't come back to the Burrow like he had promised. Ginny kept looking up at the large grandfather clock in the kitchen every ten minutes, but only to remember that Harry didn't have a hand on the clock. "That's what I will have to get him for Christmas next year," Ginny thought to herself, "a hand for the clock. Then he will really be a part of the family."

"Isn't it enough that you're going to marry me?" Harry whispered in her ear as though he somehow read her mind.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, turning around. Every pair of eyes looked up and welcomed Harry's presence in the room. "Where have you been? We have been so worried!"

"You mean, _you _have been so worried," Fred corrected.

"I've been busy," answered Harry mysteriously and fitting himself into the space between his fiancée and Hermione. "I'll tell you later, ok, Angel?"

"I think I know now," Ginny replied with a grin. "You took the job, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" asked Harry with a puzzled expression.

"What job?" Ron cried for the entire room to hear.

"Harry is going to be Deputy Headmaster at Hogwarts," Ginny announced as she embraced him happily. "I knew you would! This is going to be great."

Tonks scratched her head and turned to Lupin who was had their son, Maolo, sitting comfortable in his lap. "You know, for people who wanted to kill each other a few months ago, they seem really happy to work with each other again."

Lupin shrugged and pulled his knife away from his son's hands. "I heard they were engaged, too. Talk about mystifying the world. Reminds me of James- I never quite understood that part of him."

"Well, I think it's absolutely splendid, dear!" Mrs. Weasley ignored Lupin's comment. "Congratulations!"

"Harry? The Headmaster at Hogwarts?" Fred looked baffled at George.

George looked sad. "I can see the walls crashing down already."

"Yeah, and the lake drying up-"

"-and the Hogwarts Express crashing-"

"-and-"

"_Boys!"_

"Sorry, Mum."

* * *

One night a few weeks later after everyone else had finally left to go to bed, Harry and Ginny stayed up talking until three in the morning. Despite Harry still not having a surplus of energy, being with Ginny made him want to stay awake for the rest of the night if it meant they could keep talking together.

"Really, Harry, it's amazing how things are working out. Less than a year ago, I wanted to kill you," Ginny remembered with a laugh. "And now we'll be working together and in a year, we will be married! Why now, though, Harry? I still don't get it." Ginny looked at Harry next to her. Both were lying on the couch with Ginny's head resting comfortably on his shoulder.

Harry shrugged and peered down into Ginny's brown eyes. "I didn't realize what I had been missing all these years until I spent over half a year with you," Harry half joked, but then grew serious. "My mum reminded me why- when I was still dead, you know. She told me there was a girl out there that needed me more than anything. That's when she gave me that ring. I thought it really was a dream when I woke up, but I found the ring later wrapped in a handkerchief in my favorite robes." Harry dug into his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. In the corner of the handkerchief "LP" was stitched in red and gold. "I'm still just as confused as you are, but I knew that his had to be a sign; that she wanted me to give it to the girl I loved."

Ginny smiled happily and tightened her arms around Harry to show that she understood. "So, you gave it me," Ginny finished his thought.

"Yes," Harry smiled contentedly. "And I quit the ministry today because I want to marry you more than go out there to save the world all over again. I will save that destiny for someone else. You and Hogwarts are my real purpose, Gin." Harry kissed Ginny, long and passionately, before footsteps were heard above them making each of them jump.

"Harry? Ginny? Are you two still up?" Hermione walked into the room, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"No, 'Mione, we're still sleeping," Ginny replied sarcastically. "You're just dreaming."

"You are?" Hermione looked unbelievably.

"No, we are awake," said Harry with a laugh, "but we're on our way to bed. Come on and we'll take you."

"Ok," Hermione answered, following the two up the stairs. "You know, it's about time you two got together…"

"We know," Harry and Ginny replied in unison before turning off the last light in the house and leaving the place in pitch black darkness. However, even darkness could not dampen the joyfulness that Harry and Ginny were feeling as they each drifted off into dreamland, both looking forward to their future and what was to come…

Finally,

The End.

* * *


End file.
